Title: Molecular Biologist

Location:

 

Research Triangle Park, NC

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About Mazen Animal Health
 

Positive disruption is our mission. Mazen Animal Health is a new company focused on developing, delivering, and commercializing novel biological vaccines and therapeutics that disrupt the status quo and address complex or unsolved challenges in animal health and protein production. Our first innovative solution is a reinvention of vaccines with a novel maize-based technology platform that will shift the paradigm in disease prevention.

Summary and Responsibilities:

 

The R&D team is seeking a highly skilled and eager Molecular Biologist to join the team! The candidate will work primarily at the bench, building and implementing the molecular biology activities. In this position, you will supply the team with constructs for transgene delivery as well as analyze events from the transformation pipeline. In addition to these responsibilities, we are looking for a team member to seek out innovative molecular biology improvements that will accelerate and optimize our discovery platform. This person will be involved in multiple aspects of research and development of products, including but not limited to optimizing early product candidates and supporting regulatory submissions. The desirable candidate must work closely with other Mazen team members in a highly collaborative and cross-functional atmosphere.

 

Key Responsibilities

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• Design and implement transformation vector cloning strategies to express high levels of protein targeted to specific plant tissues.

• Develop and conduct molecular characterization of plant lines – including DNA/RNA isolation and various PCR methods (e.g., qPCR, ddPCR).

• Implement innovations to increase efficiency, speed and expression of proteins within the plant.

• Develop analyses and generate data to support regulatory submissions.

• Develop a strong relationship with the development and production teams to ensure progression of lines with best expression.

• Provide data-driven insights to inform and advise the Mazen leadership team.

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Basic Qualifications​

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• PhD or M.S.in molecular biology or related field with 5+ years of experience in a laboratory setting

• Strong background with molecular biology techniques including design and execution of PCR and qPCR experiments, plasmid cloning techniques, analysis of gene expression data, and nucleic acid isolation.

• Working knowledge on regulatory element function including promoters, UTRs, introns, and terminators.

• A strong understanding of regulatory element structure, motifs, binding factors, and signatures important for gene expression.

• Experience building plant expression vectors and characterizing expression elements in plants.

• Discover and build novel regulatory elements for plants to drive gene expression in specific directions.

• Identification and analysis of transgenic events using standard techniques, including DNA, RNA and protein detection and quantification.

• Expertise in designing and executing next generation sequencing experiments to analyze transgenic events.

• Maintain detailed and organized records of experimental conditions, vector analyses, bacterial stocks, project data, and results.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills and the ability to lead and contribute to teams from any position.

• Self-starter willing to take on multiple tasks to progress projects forward.

• Capable of communicating complex scientific findings in a concise manner across diverse stakeholder groups.

• Ability to cultivate collaborative relationships quickly, and to guide and influence teams without direct managerial authority.

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Preferred Qualifications

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• Working knowledge of plant molecular biology of crop plants such as corn and/or soybean is desired; knowledge of plant tissue culture is a plus.

• Expertise in plant gene editing techniques.

• Previous experience or familiarity with working in a start-up environment.

• Strong business acumen.

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Opportunities

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• Innovate at the forefront of scientific disruption to solve some of the world’s most challenging animal health issues.

• Collaborate across all levels and functions within the organization, as well as contracted R&D organizations.

• Work with an organization that values its employees and maintains an emphasis on culture, development, and diversity.

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What we offer / Benefits​

Mazen Animal Health offers a competitive compensation and benefits package.