Senior Computational Biologist, Assay Research and Development

About 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.

About the Role

As a Senior 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.

Your contribution:

• 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.
• Develop new bioinformatics pipelines and use computational tools to extract actionable information from high-throughput sequencing datasets for cancer classification.
• Develop classification models using novel molecular signatures and evaluate feasibility of entering the development phase.
• Remain at the forefront of molecular techniques in NGS data generation and analysis (including genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics), and develop hypotheses regarding these techniques to assess computationally and in the lab.
• Overcome analytical challenges inherent in the study of cell-free circulating nucleic acids.

Your background, perspective and experience: 

• 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.

COVID safety:

As a condition of employment, you agree to know and comply with our COVID-19 vaccination policy requiring all employees who work on-site and/or attend work-related events to be fully vaccinated and to receive a COVID-19 booster once eligible. Company employees working on-site are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and to receive a COVID-19 booster once eligible, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved or as otherwise required by law. Absent a reasonable accommodation or legal exception, you agree to provide proof of your vaccination status and to be fully vaccinated by your first day on-site, in accordance with our policy.  If you are currently eligible for a COVID-19 booster, you also agree to provide proof of having received a booster.  If you are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 booster, you must provide proof of receiving a booster within two weeks of becoming eligible.

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.

Funding

We have raised more than $1.1B from leading investors including Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital Management, Roche Venture Fund, Kaiser Permanente, Novartis and the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Ventures. 

Freenomers

A ‘Freenomer’ is a mission-driven employee who is fueled by the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients' lives, who thrives in a culture of respect and cross collaboration, and whose work makes a significant impact on the company and their career. 

Freenomers are technical, creative, visionary, grounded, empathetic and passionate. We build teams around divergent expertise, allowing us to solve problems and ascertain opportunities in unique ways. Freenomers are some of the most talented experts in their fields, joining together to advance healthcare, one breakthrough at a time. 

Benefits include but are not limited to:

• Competitive compensation 
• Pre-IPO equity
• Flexible PTO (exempt) and generous PTO (non-exempt) 
• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental, and vision 
• Wellness and mental health resources, including Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), Paid maternity and paternity leave
• 401(k) plan 
• $250.00 new hire stipend to enhance your home office experience
• Plus, a variety of other perks, including pre-tax commuter benefits, two paid volunteer days per year, pet insurance, and additional discounts 

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Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws.  

• Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

• Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)

Notice to agencies:

Our in-house Talent Acquisition Team manages all employment opportunities at Freenome.  Agencies and independent recruiters must be approved as a vendor by Freenome’s Talent Acquisition team before submitting candidates to any Freenome employee. 

We do not accept unsolicited resumes or biographies from agencies under any circumstances. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Freenome, including those sent to a Freenome email address or directly to Freenome employees, will be considered Freenome property. Freenome will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Freenome will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. 

Please do not contact Freenome employees directly. Compliance with this request will impact our decision to work with you. 

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