Molecular Diagnostic Associate

St. Paul, MN

Full Time

Entry Level

Are you a recent college graduate or early-career scientist looking to make a difference in the fight against cancer?
Oncodea is seeking a passionate and driven Molecular Diagnostic Associate to join our team and help advance our mission of making early cancer detection accessible and affordable for everyone.
In this role you will work closely with our executive leadership and founders, who bring deep expertise in molecular diagnostics, nanophotonic sensing, bioinformatics, and cancer research. You will be an integral part of the team advancing our proprietary blood-based cancer detection platform, clinical sample operations, and data capture and management.
We understand that not every candidate will have every skill listed below. We value willingness to learn and grow as Oncodea continues to expand. This position spans general R&D lab duties, innovative problem-solving, data accumulation, and data analysis and presentation.

What You Will Do

Assist with molecular pattern analysis on a large set of human biospecimens using our nanophotonic detection platform.
Catalog and maintain the clinical sample database; support sample accessioning, tracking, and chain-of-custody documentation.
Process biospecimens (serum, plasma, and related) and ensure proper aliquoting, labeling, and long-term storage consistent with IRB and HIPAA requirements.
Handle general lab operations: ordering, inventory, reagent qualification, equipment logs, and safety/waste management.
Follow and help draft SOPs for molecular biology and analytical workflows; contribute to continuous process improvement.
Maintain detailed, audit-ready laboratory notebooks and electronic records (GDP / ALCOA+).
Run routine molecular pattern acquisition and QC; help refine and troubleshoot the analytical workflow.
Support clinical study execution and CLIA-LDT lab setup, including sample kitting, shipment, and receipt verification with external sites.
Assist with basic RNA and protein analysis as needed to support research projects.
Perform introductory bioinformatics and data-science tasks: data inspection, QC dashboards, and reproducible analysis scripts.

What You Must Bring

Bachelor's degree in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, medical laboratory sciences, biophysics, molecular diagnostics, or a related discipline.
One or more years of combined experience across academic research labs, biotech industry, or biotech startups (internships and undergraduate research count).
Strong analytical skills and scientific curiosity.
Meticulous attention to detail.
Exceptional laboratory notebook and documentation habits.
Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
Strong time-management skills and the ability to juggle multiple parallel tasks.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; working familiarity with Python and/or R for data handling.
Exposure to bioinformatics or data-science workflows.
Willingness to work in a fast-paced, dynamic, lean-startup environment.
Comfort working in BSL-2 and/or clean-room environments following appropriate safety practices.
Hands-on familiarity with basic molecular biology techniques, including nucleic acid purification and RNA analysis.

What You Might Have

Familiarity with machine learning or large, high-dimensional datasets.
Experience with molecular sample preparation and analysis, or other proteomic or transcriptomic platforms.
Database management, schema design, or data-visualization experience.
Project-management skills or prior use of tools such as Asana, Jira, Trello, or Notion.
Prior exposure to CLIA, CAP, FDA, or ISO quality frameworks.
Military service, non-traditional career paths, or other diverse professional backgrounds. Oncodea values your unique experiences.

The Bottom Line

Competitive salary commensurate with experience and credentials.
PTO, paid holidays, and healthcare benefits.
Meaningful opportunities for professional growth, mentorship, and scientific authorship.
A chance to build your early career at the cutting edge of AI-native molecular and nanophotonic diagnostics alongside a mission-driven team.

If you have a curious mind, attention to detail, and a drive to make a difference, we encourage you to apply. Join us in the fight against cancer and make early cancer detection a reality for all.

To apply: Send your resume and a brief cover letter describing your personal and professional interests and why you're excited to join our mission. Include concise written answers to the 10 screening questions below.

Skill-Set Screening Questionnaire

Please answer each question in 3 to 6 sentences. Concrete examples from coursework, internships, senior projects, or prior jobs are all welcome. Brief, specific answers are preferred over long narratives.
1. Wet-lab hands-on experience
Describe a laboratory technique or workflow you have personally performed (e.g., nucleic acid purification, RNA analysis, Western blot, ELISA, cell culture). What was the sample type, what was your role, and what did you learn when something went wrong?
2. Laboratory notebook and documentation
How do you organize your lab notebook or electronic records? Share an example of an entry you are proud of and explain why it would be easy for a colleague (or an auditor) to follow six months later.
3. Specimen handling and chain-of-custody
Walk us through how you would receive, accession, aliquot, and store a batch of 50 human serum samples. What details would you record, and how would you prevent mix-ups or labeling errors?
4. Excel, Python, or R for data
Describe the most data-intensive analysis you have done. What tool did you use (Excel, Python, R, or other), what was the dataset, and what was the output? A link to code or a screenshot is welcome but not required.
5. Bioinformatics or data-science exposure
Share any coursework, project, or internship where you worked with biological or clinical data programmatically. What libraries or methods did you use (pandas, numpy, tidyverse, scikit-learn, Bioconductor, etc.) and what question were you trying to answer?
6. Attention to detail under time pressure
Tell us about a time you had to complete detail-sensitive work (lab protocol, data entry, study compliance) under a tight deadline. What system did you use to avoid errors, and what happened?
7. Safety and BSL-2 / clean-room practice
Describe your training and experience working with human biospecimens or in a BSL-2 / clean-room environment. What PPE, decontamination, and waste-handling practices do you follow, and how do you respond to a spill or near-miss?
8. Project management and ownership
Describe a project either academic, professional, or personal, where you owned execution from start to finish. How did you track progress, communicate status, and adjust when priorities shifted?
9. Handling proprietary and confidential information
Oncodea's reagent formulations and predictive models are trade secrets. Describe a time you handled confidential material (unpublished data, proprietary code, patient information). How did you protect it while still collaborating effectively?
10. Why Oncodea, why now
In a few sentences, tell us why early cancer detection matters to you and what specifically about Oncodea's nanophotonic molecular pattern analysis approach drew you to this role. What is one question you would most want to ask our CSO in a first interview?

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1) Wet-lab hands-on experience
Describe a laboratory technique or workflow you have personally performed (e.g., nucleic acid purification, RNA analysis, Western blot, ELISA, cell culture). What was the sample type, what was your role, and what did you learn when something went wrong?*

2) Laboratory notebook and documentation
How do you organize your lab notebook or electronic records? Share an example of an entry you are proud of and explain why it would be easy for a colleague (or an auditor) to follow six months later.*

3) Specimen handling and chain-of-custody
Walk us through how you would receive, accession, aliquot, and store a batch of 50 human serum samples. What details would you record, and how would you prevent mix-ups or labeling errors?*

4) Excel, Python, or R for data
Describe the most data-intensive analysis you have done. What tool did you use (Excel, Python, R, or other), what was the dataset, and what was the output? A link to code or a screenshot is welcome but not required.*

5) Bioinformatics or data-science exposure
Share any coursework, project, or internship where you worked with biological or clinical data programmatically. What libraries or methods did you use (pandas, numpy, tidyverse, scikit-learn, Bioconductor, etc.) and what question were you trying to answer?*

6) Attention to detail under time pressure
Tell us about a time you had to complete detail-sensitive work (lab protocol, data entry, study compliance) under a tight deadline. What system did you use to avoid errors, and what happened?*

7) Safety and BSL-2 / clean-room practice
Describe your training and experience working with human biospecimens or in a BSL-2 / clean-room environment. What PPE, decontamination, and waste-handling practices do you follow, and how do you respond to a spill or near-miss?*

8) Project management and ownership
Describe a project—academic, professional, or personal—where you owned execution from start to finish. How did you track progress, communicate status, and adjust when priorities shifted?*

9) Handling proprietary and confidential information
Oncodea's reagent formulations and predictive models are trade secrets. Describe a time you handled confidential material (unpublished data, proprietary code, patient information). How did you protect it while still collaborating effectively?*

10) Why Oncodea, why now
In a few sentences, tell us why early cancer detection matters to you and what specifically about Oncodea's nanophotonic molecular pattern analysis approach drew you to this role. What is one question you would most want to ask our CSO in a first interview?*

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