Product Research and Development Internship

About Parallel

A parallel world lives amongst us -- the microbial world. This world impacts not only our lifespan, but also our healthspan.

Our mission is to empower people with real science to make meaningful decisions to improve their healthspan.

Parallel is a microbial diagnostics and next-level skincare company that aims to revolutionize skin health by providing deep insight and true personalization, through best-in-class testing and targeted, clean microbial formulations.

Hiring + Application Instructions

We are passionate about our mission, but also about building an extraordinary team. We believe that every person has a superpower, and it is our job to help you hone this talent so you can be your best self, succeed, and make an impact.

If you think you’re the right fit, we welcome you to reach out to [email protected]. Please include your resume/CV and a letter sharing with us why you are interested in the role.

Ideal Candidate
You are:

• A conscientious molecular biologist
• Interested in exploring the skin microbiome and building new products to improve general skin health and wellness
• Are interested in product development
• A team player who likes working with other curious scientists that take their mission, but not their egos, seriously
• Looking forward to building your network with some of the most dynamic startups in the SF Bay Area at Illumina Accelerator.

Responsibilities
You will:

• Help to isolate and identify new skin microbes with state-of-the-art shotgun genomic sequencing
• Isolate bacteriophages that can be incorporated into ground-breaking gentle skin microbiome cosmetic products that will actually improve the appearance of people’s skin
• Learn about the skin microbiome (including your own!) and contribute to product design and development
• Troubleshoot molecular biology protocols and contribute to laboratory automation and protocol improvement
• Conduct other research and/or processes to support product development

Technical Requirements + Extras
You have:

• Graduated with a B.S. or M.S. in microbiology, molecular biology, or related field
• Successfully carried out an NGS DNA library preparation protocol (Illumina, PacBio, NanoPore, etc.)
• Worked with bacteria in a BSL-2 laboratory before (in a BSL-2 cabinet/laminar flow hood)
• Independently identified and corrected mistakes that you’ve made in complex molecular biology protocols

Extra points if you have:

• Experience reading and writing Python scripts and want to learn more (nice to have, but not the most important thing)
• Experience working in a corporate or startup laboratory (nice to have, but not essential)