Research Associate II, Konermann Lab

About Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accelerate scientific progress and understand the root causes of complex diseases. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco.

Unlike academia, our scientists have long-term funding and industry-like resources. Unlike industry, they're free to pursue high-risk, long-term research without commercial pressures. Arc's Technology Centers and Core Investigator labs work side by side, integrating experimental and computational biology under one roof to tackle problems neither could solve alone.

Our two Institute Initiatives reflect this model in action:

• Virtual Cell Initiative

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Building a full-stack virtual cell model to identify disease mechanisms and nominate drug targets,  accelerating the path from biological insight to clinical trials.

• Alzheimer's Disease Initiative

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Mapping the genes, pathways, and environmental factors behind Alzheimer's disease to develop drug candidates that address root causes.

More than 300 Arconauts work together at our Palo Alto headquarters, backed by substantial long-term philanthropic funding.

About the position

We are seeking a Research Associate II to join the Konermann Laboratory at the Arc Institute.You will collaborate closely with experienced scientists to advance in vitro and in vivo projects focused on understanding brain development.

This project builds on previous work in genome-scale CRISPR screening (Konermann et al., 2015; Biering et al., 2021; Wei et al., 2023) and aims at combining modern functional genomics and neuroscience tools to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying brain development and function. The ideal candidate will have experience in molecular biology, single cell RNA sequencing pipelines, in vitro and in vivo work. This position offers an excellent opportunity for candidates considering PhD programs, as you will participate in all stages of a research project under the guidance of experienced scientists.

About You

• You love science and learning. Whether it’s gaining knowledge in new fields of scientific research or learning a new lab technique, you never stop being curious and routinely enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone to learn new things.


• You are detail-oriented. You are careful and diligent about good documentation practices, good lab practices, and overall obsessed with keeping things organized.


• You love to collaborate and help others. Science is a team effort and you pride yourself in taking the initiative to help out.


• You are a problem solver. Science isn’t perfect and it’s common for you to come across issues you need to troubleshoot. You demonstrate patience and confidence when solving complex technical challenges in the laboratory.

In this position, you will:

• Collaborate closely with senior scientists and RAs in the laboratory to conduct high-throughput CRISPR experiments


• Utilize a wide array of high-throughput molecular biology techniques, such as Gibson and Golden gate assembly, DNA/RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, qPCR/dPCR, and more


• Independently conduct NGS library prep methods (single cell, bulk: long and short read).


• Assist with research planning, execution, analysis, troubleshooting, and data interpretation with a high degree of independence and continued support from the rest of the team.

Job Requirements

• BS with 2+ years of relevant experience or MS in molecular biology, neuroscience, or another relevant field. Relevant experience includes independent lab work during undergraduate studies. Strong hands-on experience with molecular biology (cloning and NGS) required.


• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational and time management skills.


• Outstanding critical thinking and problem-solving skills.


• Strong oral and written communication skills.


• Be both a strong individual contributor as well as a collaborative team member.


• Ability to work some weekends as needed (days off can be swapped for weekdays).


• Highly motivated, curious, and a team player

Preferred Skills

• Experience with human stem cell work and/or in vivo mouse work is preferred but not required for the role.


• Experience with computational skills including scRNA-seq analysis is desirable.

The base salary for this position is $75,900. This amount does not include benefits or other forms of compensation.