The Gene Editing Platform Technologies group at Beam is looking for a highly motivated Co-op student to join us from July to December of 2024. The ideal candidate will support our lead optimization efforts to further develop our cutting-edge base editing technologies, with the goal of expanding the scope of our clinical development pipeline. Projects for this position will likely involve protein engineering, directed evolution and/or cell-based screens. As such, skills and knowledge in molecular biology, biochemistry, and/or cell biology will be beneficial.
Responsibilities:
- Experimentally support projects to characterize, engineer, and optimize genome editing systems.
- Molecular biology: PCR, DNA/RNA isolation, Cloning, Next Generation Sequencing library preparation.
- Cell Biology: Mammalian cell culture and transfections; bacterial culture, transformations, colony picking; and flow cytometry/plate reader assays.
- Analyze and interpret data, and keep detailed documentation of experimental steps and results.
- Read and interpret relevant publications, and contribute ideas to advance the project.
- Work collaboratively with other team members to achieve project goals.
- Summarize and communicate findings at team meetings.
Qualifications:
- Pursuing a BS or MS in Biology or Biochemistry with at least 1 year of academic or industrial research experience.
- Good working knowledge and understanding of molecular biology. Direct experience with basic molecular biology techniques (DNA vector/primer design, cloning, PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA/RNA purification, yeast/bacteria work) preferred.
- Familiarity with genome editing and CRISPR technologies and their basic principles is desired.
- A team player who is curious, motivated to learn, well-organized, and has good communication skills.
- Proficiency in software tools for data analysis and visualization (Excel, GraphPad Prism, PowerPoint).