Molecular Biologist / Research Scientist

Proto-Town; Lockhart (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Proto-Town is seeking a molecular biologist / research scientist to lead core wet lab work for our automated biology platform, handling selection design, library construction, and readouts across rounds.

You will run end-to-end workflows from library to selection to characterized hits, design stringency schedules and bottlenecks, and develop FACS sorting and screening strategies with interpretation of population trajectories.

Qualifications

• Hands-on cell culture experience, ideally with yeast.
• Fundamental molecular cloning skills and sequencing awareness.
• Flow cytometry/FACS experience including gating and staining strategies.

Responsibilities

• Run end to end workflows, library through selection to characterized hits.
• Design selection strategy: stringency schedules, bottlenecks, counter-selections.
• Design FACS sorting and screening strategies, and interpret population trajectories across rounds.

Skills

Cell culture

Molecular cloning

Flow cytometry

Tools

PCR amplification

Gibson assembly

Golden Gate assembly

Transformations

Sequencing services

FACS

Job description

The role

We are building an automated biology platform and, and we are looking for a molecular biologist / research scientist to handle the core wet lab work: selection design, library construction, and readouts.

Responsibilities

• Run end to end workflows, library through selection to characterized hits

• Design selection strategy: stringency schedules, bottlenecks, counter-selections

• Design FACS sorting and screening strategies, and interpret population trajectories across rounds

Must-haves

1. Cell culture: hands-on experience, ideally with yeast.

2. Molecular cloning: fundamentals (PCR amplification, Gibson assembly, Golden Gate assembly, transformations); experience with sequencing services.

3. Flow cytometry/FACS: gating strategies, staining, sample loading.

Nice-to-haves

• Yeast genetics and surface display
• OrthoRep or other continuous hypermutation systems
• phage display or PACE
• SPR/BLI
• NGS library prep and analysis
• protein expression and purification
• Opentrons, Hamilton, Tecan, or eVOLVER-class hardware.

If you have never worked in yeast, apply anyway. We would rather hire for selection judgment and long-run discipline, and teach the organism.