Cultivarium
Scientist, Eukaryotic Genome Engineering
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Who We Are
Cultivarium builds scientific tools that turn biological discovery into real-world capability. As a Frontier Research Contractor, we provide technical solutions and hands-on support to partners working on the problems of today. Born a Focused Research Organization, we are drawn to the hardest technological problems in biology and built to tackle them with intensity. We prize builders who efficiently leverage resources to deliver tangible solutions at the frontier, for outsized societal benefit. Our ambition is to study and engineer non-model organisms across the entire tree of life.
What We Are Looking For
We're looking for a scientist to engineer eukaryotic genomes end to end, with an initial focus on mammalian tissue culture. You'll take an editing campaign from design to verified edit: choosing the right nuclease, getting it into hard cell types, and confirming the outcome base by base. A successful candidate is fluent across the modern editing toolkit (CRISPR and its variants, the pros and cons of base vs prime editing, and the depth that comes from understanding alternative approaches such as ZFNs and TALENs) and owns the full workflow from culture through delivery to next-generation sequencing verification.
This is an in-person role at our London, UK location.
Responsibilities
- Design editing strategies and reagents: select target loci, design guides (and ZFN/TALEN arrays where relevant), plan knockout (NHEJ) versus knock-in (HDR) approaches, and design donor and ssODN templates.
- Build and QC editing reagents: clone and produce editing constructs, assemble and validate RNPs (Cas protein plus synthetic guide), and prepare donor DNA.
- Maintain mammalian tissue culture across immortalized lines, primary cells, and iPSCs (sterile technique, passaging, cryopreservation, media optimization, and mycoplasma monitoring).
- Deliver editing machinery by transfection, electroporation and nucleofection, and lipid/LNP delivery, and produce and titer viral vectors (lentivirus, AAV) as needed.
- Apply the full nuclease toolkit (CRISPR-Cas9 and variants, base editing, prime editing, CRISPRi/CRISPRa, plus ZFNs and TALENs), optimizing editing efficiency while minimizing off-target activity and toxicity.
- Isolate and expand edited clones by single-cell sorting (FACS) or limiting dilution to establish homogeneous edited lines.
- Verify edits by NGS: amplify around cut sites, build amplicon and targeted-sequencing libraries, run them on Illumina, and quantify editing outcomes (indels, HDR) with tools such as CRISPResso2, ICE, or TIDE, confirming with Sanger and ddPCR as needed.
- Validate genotype-to-phenotype with Western blot, qPCR, and flow cytometry or immunofluorescence, and characterize on- and off-target profiles.
- Bring high agency and high standards: take ownership, give and receive candid feedback, and push the team to be its best in service of the science.
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Basic Qualifications
- You believe that if you can edit it, you can understand it, and that landing a clean, verified edit in a hard cell type is a craft worth owning end to end.
- Authorized to work without sponsorship.
- PhD in molecular or cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, biotechnology, or a related field.
- Demonstrated genome editing in mammalian cells, from guide design through validation of edited clones.
- Proficiency in mammalian tissue culture with sterile technique across multiple cell types.
- Hands-on DNA and RNP delivery by transfection and electroporation/nucleofection.
- Core molecular biology: cloning (Gibson, Golden Gate), PCR, plasmid prep, and QC.
- NGS-based edit verification: amplicon and targeted library prep and analysis (CRISPResso, ICE, or TIDE), plus Sanger sequencing.
- Fluency with design tools such as Benchling and/or SnapGene.
- An excellent communicator and collaborator with meticulous record-keeping and attention to detail.
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Advanced Qualifications
- Base editing and prime editing, and CRISPRi/CRISPRa for gene modulation.
- Hands-on experience with ZFNs and TALENs.
- Viral vector production and titering (lentivirus, AAV) and LNP delivery.
- iPSC and primary-cell culture and clonal line generation, including multiplexed or large-fragment knock-ins.
- High-throughput or pooled CRISPR screening.
- Off-target profiling (e.g. GUIDE-seq, CIRCLE-seq), ddPCR, and lab automation.
- Bioinformatics for NGS analysis (scripting in Python or R).
- An eye on emerging programmable nucleases beyond CRISPR, with the judgment to tell a verified edge from hype.
We Offer
- An opportunity to refine your craft in service of science and society.
- Annual leave, plus bank holidays, and a year-end closure.
- Employer pension contribution, with optional salary sacrifice.
- Private medical insurance.
We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that proudly pursues and hires a diverse workforce. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws or prohibited by Company policy. We strive for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibit harassment of any kind.
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