Staff Computational Biologist (Remote)

Freenome in South San Francisco, CA

$182,750 - $280,000

Why join Freenome?

Freenome is a high-growth biotech company on a mission since 2014 to create tools that empower everyone to prevent, detect, and treat their disease.

To achieve this mission, Freenome is developing next-generation blood tests to detect cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages using our multiomics platform and machine learning techniques. Our first blood test will detect early-stage colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas.

To fight the war on cancer, Freenome has raised more than $1.1B from leading investors including a16z, GV (formerly Google Ventures), T. Rowe Price, BainCapital, Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital Management, Roche, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, and the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Ventures.

Are you ready for the fight? A ‘Freenomer’ is a mission-driven employee who is fueled by the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients' lives, who thrive in a culture of respect and cross collaboration, and whose work makes a significant impact on the company and their career. Freenomers are determined, patient-centric, and outcomes-driven. We build teams around divergent expertise, allowing us to solve problems and ascertain opportunities in unique ways. We are dedicated to advancing healthcare, one breakthrough at a time.

About this opportunity:

As a Staff Computational Biologist on the Computational Biology, Assay Research and Development team at Freenome, you will help build novel NGS assays for early, noninvasive tests for cancer detection. You will bring a strong foundation in molecular biology and genomics to perform computational analyses enabling us to understand and identify cancer’s unique molecular signatures. You will work in close collaboration with wet lab scientists and other computational scientists to both iterate upon and build new assays with the goal of developing clinical products that save lives.

What you’ll do:

  • Drive computational analysis in collaboration with wet-lab scientists to rapidly characterize and iterate on experimental methods by providing real-time assessments of assay performance and implementing key QC metrics
  • Build bioinformatics pipelines and bespoke computational tools to extract actionable information from high-throughput sequencing datasets for cancer classification
  • Collaborate on and develop classification models using novel molecular signatures and evaluate feasibility translating these biomarkers to the product development phase
  • Remain at the forefront of molecular techniques in high-throughput sequencing, applying knowledge and learnings to suggest new experiments and avenues for investigation

Must haves:

  • PhD or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as molecular biology, computational biology, bioinformatics, or equivalent
  • 3+ years post-PhD experience, industry experience in molecular diagnostics is highly desirable
  • Strong quantitative reasoning and statistical analysis skills, with a demonstrated ability to apply them effectively to relevant scientific problems
  • Expertise in computational analysis of NGS datasets to derive technical and biological insights. Experience in liquid biopsy is highly preferred
  • Experience building and maintaining bioinformatics pipelines, with proficiency in common bioinformatics tools, such as FastQC, Atropos, Picard, Bowtie, BWA, Samtools, and IGV
  • Fundamental understanding of the central dogma, including background in molecular biology, cancer biology, and familiarity with regulation of molecular processes
  • Strong computational and programming skills, including experience with Python statistical packages (Numpy, Matplotlib, Pandas). Equivalents in other languages like R or C/C++ are also suitable
  • Familiarity working in a Linux server-based environment
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills to communicate to both scientific and broader audiences
  • Ability to work on a cross-functional team in our highly collaborative environment, working with both computational and experimental scientists

Nice to haves:

  • Expert level domain knowledge in cfDNA biology and liquid biopsy
  • Hands-on experience with common NGS assays

Benefits and additional information:

The US target range of our base salary for new hires is $182,750 - $280,000 . You will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity, cash bonuses, and a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits dependent on the position offered.  Please note that individual total compensation for this position will be determined at the Company’s sole discretion and may vary based on several factors, including but not limited to, location, skill level, years and depth of relevant experience, and education. We invite you to check out our career page @ https://careers.freenome.com/ for additional company information.

Freenome is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. Freenome does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws.

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