Research Associate I

Allen Institute

Research Associate in AI Biological Design applying machine learning to biological design at the Allen Institute. Responsible for synthetic enhancer screening and optimizing experimental procedures.

Posted 5/28/2026full-timeSeattle • Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-Level💰 $54,250 - $66,450 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Assembly

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Maintain and propagate human cell lines, optimize and perform plasmid DNA transfections and viral transductions
Execute molecular biology protocols, including molecular cloning, flow cytometry, quantitative PCR, ddPCR, Illumina amplicon sequencing, RNA-seq, single cell RNA-seq
Assist in troubleshooting technical barriers in the generation of high quality NGS libraries, from library delivery to cell lines through NGS library generation
Contribute to the development of new protocols as needed
Present results and summarize progress to help frame internal decision-making
Comply with SOPs, good laboratory practices, and regulatory requirements
Adhere to a team schedule and individual time management
Maintain accurate laboratory documentation using established methods
Other duties as assigned

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelors degree in Cell Biology, Genetics, Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, or related field
2 years of equivalent experience
Experience with stem cell culture
Experience performing molecular biology methods including molecular cloning (such as restriction cloning, Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate assembly, plasmid prep)
Experience cloning complex libraries is a plus
RNA isolation, DNA isolation, and PCR
Track-record of being an effective team member
Experience with nucleic acid sequencing, especially custom amplicon sequencing
Experience performing cell biology methods including mammalian cell culture, stem cell culture, primary cell culture, nucleofection, and lipofection

Benefits

Comp & perks

Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outline in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide.
These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance.
Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institutes 401k plan.
Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

molecular biologyplasmid DNA transfectionsviral transductionsmolecular cloningflow cytometryquantitative PCRddPCRIllumina amplicon sequencingRNA-seqsingle cell RNA-seq

Soft Skills

team membertime managementcommunication