Description
Investigate gene structure, function, and variation at the DNA and RNA level to elucidate inheritance and disease mechanisms. Apply molecular and genomic technologies to generate, analyze, and report findings; may develop tests and interpret results to support clinical diagnosis and patient care.
- • Write grants and scientific papers and participate in fundraising to support molecular genetics research.
- • Verify that molecular genetics and sequencing equipment are calibrated and maintained to ensure accuracy and data quality.
- • Manage biobanking and sample curation, including acquisition, tracking, storage, and regeneration of DNA and RNA resources.
- • Design and execute molecular assays to support gene discovery, functional studies, and therapeutic target identification.
- • Maintain laboratory safety programs and train personnel in molecular safety and biosafety practices.
- • Instruct students and trainees in molecular genetics methods for diagnosis and research.
- • Evaluate and interpret molecular genetic test results, classifying variants per ACMG guidelines to aid diagnosis and patient management.
- • Design and maintain genomic and variant databases, and curate or submit data to resources such as ClinVar.
- • Collaborate with bioinformatics and IT teams to develop and maintain pipelines and tools for NGS and other molecular data analyses.
- • Collaborate with clinicians, biologists, and other scientists to plan and interpret molecular and biochemical analyses.
- • Attend clinical and research conferences and review scientific literature to stay current with molecular genetics and genomic technologies.
- • Supervise and mentor geneticists, technologists, and students working on molecular genetics projects.
- • Review, approve, and sign out molecular genetics laboratory results in compliance with quality and regulatory standards.
- • Evaluate scientific literature to select, optimize, and validate molecular methods and procedures.
- • Prepare and present experimental findings at professional conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
- • Maintain detailed electronic laboratory notebooks and records of methods, samples, and results.
- • Isolate nucleic acids and perform assays such as PCR, qPCR, RT-PCR, NGS library preparation, sequencing, and electrophoresis.
- • Analyze molecular genetic data using appropriate statistical, computational, and bioinformatics approaches.
- • Develop and validate protocols to improve molecular techniques and implement new diagnostic procedures.
- • Establish sample collection, accessioning, and chain-of-custody procedures for clinical and research specimens.
- • Create or apply statistical and machine learning models for genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic data.
- • Perform segregation analyses and integrate family histories and phenotypes to assess pathogenicity of molecular variants.
- • Conduct research on gene regulation, protein interactions, metabolic pathways, and nucleic acid complexes.
- • Investigate molecular determinants of inherited traits and use genome editing or other methods to test or modify gene function.
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Healthcare & Human Services
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
