Scientist, Molecular Biology

OmniAb provides our pharmaceutical industry partners access to the most diverse antibody repertoires and cutting-edge screening technologies to enable discovery of next-generation therapeutics. We leverage our state-of-the-art technologies to facilitate the discovery of best-in-class antibodies. Within OmniAb are also core capabilities for the discovery and screening of high-value ion channel and transporter targets.

OmniAb consists of dynamic, collaborative and innovative team members that are passionate about contributing to the technological frontier of drug discovery and to the advancement of global human health. Together, with our partners, we are enabling the discovery of next-generation therapeutics.

About This Role

We’re seeking a Scientist, Molecular Biology, who will be responsible for designing and implementing strategies for the expression of human antibodies and other novel antigen-binding scaffolds in transgenic chickens. The Animal Genetics and Molecular Biology group focuses on engineering chickens to produce human antibodies in various formats for different therapeutic applications. This role will include incorporating immunological concepts into the transgene design and complex molecular biology to enable successful construct production and insertion into the genome. As a molecular geneticist, the role includes evaluation of transgene function once the birds have been established.

This position represents an exciting opportunity to be a key part of the group developing our next generation of innovative in vivo platforms for the discovery of novel therapeutics. This individual will collaborate with the Antibody Discovery, Protein Sciences, Vivarium, and Systems Engineering groups. The ideal candidate has experience in molecular genetics, design of complex constructs, and transgenic animals as well as knowledge of B cell development and mechanisms of antibody diversification.

This role reports to the Senior Director, Molecular Biology.

This is an onsite position based out of our Emeryville headquarters and will require up to 5% domestic and international travel. This is a full-time position, and the working hours are 8am-5pm PT.

What You’ll Do

• Design transgene constructs for innovative approaches to antibody therapeutics.
• Apply immunological concepts to express novel human antibody formats in the chicken immune system.
• Clone constructs and confirm their structure prior to and after insertion into the chicken genome.
• Evaluate construct expression in cultured B cell lines.
• Evaluate B cell development and function in birds using techniques such as NGS, flow cytometry, ELISA and other analytical techniques.
• Monitor transgenic stocks for stability and maintenance of transgenes.
• Mentor Research Associates.
• Present at scientific conferences.
• Other duties as required.

What You Bring

• PhD in Molecular Biology or another relevant field.
• 2+ years relevant experience, ideally in an industry setting.
• Strong scientific background as evidenced by relevant publications.
• Experience with complex construct design.
• Experience in transgenic platforms for human antibodies.
• Experience in modern molecular biology techniques (i.e. CRISPR, site-specific recombination, etc.).
• Experience with genetic modification of stem cells.
• Eagerness to learn new methods and apply knowledge to a steady stream of new projects with distinct goals.
• Must demonstrate well-developed communication, record keeping, organizational skills, and the ability to work in a team environment.

Nice To Have

• Experience in B cell immunology.