Research Assistant I

Grade: 052 Department: Genetics FLSA Status: Non-exempt Company Description By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive. Why join Harvard Medical School? Harvard Medical School's mission is to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership. You’ll be at the heart of biomedical discovery, education, and innovation, working alongside world-renowned faculty and a community dedicated to improving human health. This is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to shape the future of medicine. About the Department of Genetics: The Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School is a leading academic center for genetics and genomics research worldwide. The department's faculty pursue a broad range of research questions spanning fundamental molecular genetics, developmental biology, human genetics, computational genomics, and synthetic biology, supported by extensive shared resources for sequencing, microscopy, and computational analysis. Trainees and staff in the department benefit from a vibrant scientific environment that includes regular seminar series, collaborative interactions across the Harvard Medical School Quad, and proximity to affiliated institutions including the Wyss Institute, the Broad Institute, and the Harvard-affiliated hospitals. The Department of Genetics is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that supports the professional development of all members of its community.

The Nyerges Lab ( https://engineeringbio.science ) at Harvard Medical School , Department of Genetics, is seeking a Research Assistant to join a newly established, independent research group working at the interface of bacterial genome engineering, directed evolution, and biomedical applications.

Building on our published work in genome and genetic code engineering (Nyerges et al., Nature 2023; Nyerges et al., BioRxiv, 2024), directed evolution and preclinical drug development (Nyerges et al., 2020; Szili et al., 2019), current projects combine molecular microbiology, directed evolution, and computational chemistry to create engineered bacterial strains and new-to-nature proteins for biomedical applications.

The position is well suited for a motivated post-baccalaureate candidate with an interest in molecular biology, microbiology, or related biomedical disciplines who is preparing to apply to a PhD program and seeks to strengthen their publication track record and research skillset.

The successful candidate will participate in group meetings, contribute to manuscript and experimental protocol preparation, attend seminar series within Harvard Medical School, and take part in the scientific and intellectual life of the lab and the Department of Genetics.

Under the direct supervision of the Principal Investigator, the Research Assistant will execute experiments in bacterial genetics and directed evolution; perform molecular cloning, PCR, plasmid and reagent preparation, and standard E. coli genetic manipulations; carry out DNA and RNA extraction, quality assessment, and handling under RNase-free conditions; prepare RNA-seq and DNA sequencing libraries for both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms; prepare purified protein samples for LC-MS/MS analysis, and analyze the resulting transcriptomic and genomic datasets using standard bioinformatics tools.

The candidate will also contribute to downstream characterization of engineered strains in both in vitro and in vivo