Molecular Biology and Lab Operations Lead

Serna Bio is building the world’s first map of the druggable transcriptome, systematically opening up the universe of RNA biology to small molecule drug discovery. Using our Discovery Platform, we are tackling the classically intractable targets ranging from coding and non-coding RNA.

The Team You’ll Join

We are looking for a multifaceted Lead Scientist to join our Stevenage-based R&D lab and contribute to our Molecular Cell Biology R&D and Operations efforts. This is a unique opportunity to join us at an early stage in a dual/flexible role. Deliver on our R&D work by executing in the lab, and shape our laboratory operations as we scale.

The Impact You’ll Make

In this role, you will help drive  the expansion of our in-house molecular biology and Cell culture work, accelerating our R&D capabilities and developing our Lab Operations

Working with a small and nimble team, you will be our internal resource for multiple projects in-house, ranging from novel method development and scaling existing technologies, to managing multiple workstreams and projects to help our R&D work and laboratory growth.

As an ambitious start-up, we work at pace and with complexity so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to grow as a scientist and to expand your talents outside of your current comfort zone.

Key Responsibilities 

• Implement and improve methods for executing cell-based & in vitro assays at scale 
• Implement and improve sequencing protocols and platforms 
• Participate in collaborative genomic projects.
• Internal assay development activities in various assay formats 
• Responsible for working with the wider R&D team to develop project-specific experimental strategies, techniques, and procedures, and to interpret and model data.
• Overseeing a range of duties supporting and developing laboratory operations and administration for sequencing workflows.
• Independently work on sample processing, library preparation workflows (e.g.RNA-seq) and other molecular cloning / mammalian cell culture

Requirements

Technical Requirements

• Minimum MSc with at least 6 years’ experience in a biotech or CRO working with sequencing based workflows and readouts. 
• Proven hands-on experience with NGS library preparation, in particular with single cell sequencing library preparation, optimising novel next-generation sequencing assays RNASeq library prep and other NGS methods (Biochemistry, Genomics)  and trouble-shooting protocols.
• Demonstrable experience in RNASeq library prep and other NGS methods (Biochemistry, Genomics) 
• Extensive experience with basic molecular biology techniques (mammalian cell culture, RNA/DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, PAGE, molecular cloning, DNA/RNA techniques)
• Hands-on experience with spatial transcriptomics and/or proteomics data generation.
• A passion for building process and operational excellence in the laboratory

Interpersonal skills

• Enjoy the details: take pride in having well written lab notebooks and detailed experimental plans before beginning experiments.
• Excellent time and project management, communication and team working skills
• Ability to work in complexity, manage different projects and deliver to defined timelines
• Previous experience in working in a small - fast-paced environment, with colleagues who may me internationally distributed.
• Highly organised, with demonstrated experience in lab management tasks such as SOP writing, inventory management
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Bonus skills

• Good technical expertise applying chemical probing methods (such as SHAPE-MaP, DMS-MaP, and M2-seq)
• Experience with western blotting and other antibody-based techniques (Immunofluorescence, antibody optimisation)
• Experience of developing and optimising assays, including cell-based & in vitro assays, for use in high-throughput studies

Benefits

About Us

Serna Bio is a preclinical drug discovery company developing small molecules that can modulate translation and splicing, by targeting RNA. Founded in 2021, Serna Bio leverages the convergence of synthetic biology, machine learning (ML), and massively multiplex screening to tackle the historical challenges of drugging the RNA universe.

Our core innovation lies in the Serna Discovery Platform, which systematically maps RNA structures to a vast chemical universe, generating large proprietary datasets. The platform incorporates both experimental wet lab and AI capabilities.  We use our platform to tackle undruggable targets and novel biology inaccessible by classical drug discovery. 

The Values You’ll Share 

• The Data Decides: The future of drug discovery will be computationally led. Opinions are just hypotheses. The data rules.

• Unapologetic ambition: The work we do matters. We maximise its value by striving to make the biggest impact, fastest. We don’t take the easy path, or wait for lower risk. We show up with a plan. We define what victory looks like. We make our time count.

• We don’t rely on experience, we run the experiment: We are humble in the face of work that has never been done before. We never default to experience. We use what we already know to train the machines to outperform us.

• Only the highest standards: We are inspired by challenge. We work hard. Our efforts are guided by the utility of every failed experiment and the value of new learning. Metrics matter to us. Effort, integrity, honesty, execution, and excellence are what we owe each other.

• We are one company: We operate with a ‘company first, team second’ mentality. We learn from the perspectives of others. Our is an antedisciplinary idea meritocracy. Ego is valueless. Diverse perspectives, integrity, resilience and teamwork are priceless.

• High-density, high-frequency communication: We share Work in Progress. We offer and accept critical opinions on this work so that the final versions are excellent. We communicate clearly to enable rapid decision-making, and we bring solutions, not just problems to the team.