(Senior) Scientist

About Us

Basecamp Research exists to push the forefront of complex biological product design. We do this by completely rethinking the data and AI stack necessary to achieve this. As a platform we build partnerships across therapeutics, agriculture, chemicals and beyond. Today, there is a hard limitation on the success of biological AI models, that results from the lack of high quality, scaled data. 

We’ve solved this bottleneck. At the core of Basecamp Research is a proprietary data asset of genetic information collected from the whole tree of life, from around the world (we partner with 25 countries on 5 continents). Having recently closed our Series B,bringing total funds to $85M, we have scaled our data asset 10x in the last 3 months (to many billions of non-redundant genes), cementing it as the single largest genomics database of life on earth. We use this data to train a new family of foundational biological design models that could not have been built on the existing public databases, on which almost every other foundation protein and DNA model is built.

About the Role

We are seeking an energetic and highly motivated Scientist I/II with broad experience in gene editing, protein engineering, and cell biology.

The candidate will make use of the largest and most comprehensive biodiversity knowledge proprietary to the company to tackle some of the most exciting and unique challenges in gene editing, including the targeted integration of large cargo in dividing and non-dividing cells.

The ideal candidate is comfortable with cutting edge tools in molecular biology, cellular engineering, and high throughput screening, and is an expert at optimizing the efficacy of gene editing proteins in cell culture models and primary cells. The role is primarily lab-based, with the opportunity to work closely with computational biology and deep learning teams.

Key Responsibilities

Lead strategy and implementation for discovery and engineering of novel gene editing tools. Responsibilities include, in coordination with other team members within and between teams:

• Develop strategy for design, build, test cycles of novel proteins, with a strong emphasis on discovery and engineering of gene editing tools.

• Optimize hits for activity and specificity using human primary cells and cell lines.

• Lead by example to create an open and honest scientific culture at Basecamp Research.

• Work on a cross functional team including computational biology, genomics and bioinformatics, data science, plus others.

• Establish strong documentation practices and lab SOPs as a founding member of the lab team.

Required skills and experiences

• A graduate (MSc/PhD) degree in the life sciences or related field.

• 6+ years (MSc) or 2+ years (PhD) post-grad experience in gene editing, NGS assay development, protein engineering, cell therapy, or related lab-based roles (industry preferred).

• Experience with high-throughput screening, including large-scale arrayed screening and pooled screening. The right candidate is an expert in designing diverse fitness readouts and robust statistical analyses for screening campaigns including fluorescent reporter assays and NGS-based readouts.

• Leader in translating emerging technologies in gene editing from early lab POC to reproducible products with a path for regulatory approval.

• Demonstrated success leading a team to deliver novel platform technologies, particularly in the gene editing space.

• Fluency in bioinformatics, both conceptually and in practice, strongly preferred.

• Excellent communication skills to both internal and external stakeholders.

Advantageous skills and experiences

• Expert understanding of gene editing tools, including nucleases, base editors, recombinases, and retrotransposons; Ability to reason about proteins structure-function relationships.

• Major contributions to a preclinical cell therapy program (in vivo or ex vivo) or in vivo gene editing program.

• Expertise in gene delivery mechanisms, including LNP, AAV, and VLP platforms.

• Expert at mammalian cell culture, transfection, and cell-line generation, and cellular screening for gene editing outcomes.

• Experience integrating AI protein design tools with high-throughput wet lab screening methodologies.

• Fluency in lab automation, NGS instrumentation, basic bioinformatics tools, and traceable data pipelines.

What we can offer you in return

• The opportunity to join an exciting, dynamic, and fast-moving field.

• A fun, flexible, and supportive work environment in the heart of Kendall Square, with close connections to the London office and an emphasis on collaboration and personal development.

• Unique and never-seen before data sourced in partnership with nature parks and other ecosystems across five continents

• A network of top-tier advisors and academic partners.

• Exploring the world’s untapped biodiversity.

• Competitive compensation including equity.

• Comprehensive medical cover.

• 401k scheme.

• Enhanced PTO.