The Quake Laboratory is being established at ETH Zürich in 2026 by Stephen Quake, who is moving from Stanford University. The lab works at the interface of physics, engineering, and biology, developing new measurement and modelling approaches that transform what is possible to learn from individual cells and from minute amounts of molecular material.
Three major research programmes will run in parallel: (1) reconstructing the regulatory architecture of E. coli at high resolution as a foundation for predictive models of gene regulation; (2) building large-scale single-cell atlases of human and model-organism tissues — including a first-of-its-kind atlas of the human autonomic nervous system — and training AI/foundation models on those atlases to interrogate aging biology and the evolution of multicellularity; and (3) advancing liquid-biopsy approaches that read cell-free nucleic acids from blood to detect disease, monitor physiology in collaboration with external partners.
The lab will be a multidisciplinary environment of approximately 10 people spanning molecular biologists, biochemists, computational biologists, machine-learning researchers, physicists, and engineers, with active collaborations across ETH, EPFL, the University of Zürich, and internationally.
The Laboratory Manager is the operational backbone of the group. You will own the day-to-day functioning of a complex, multi-modal wet lab — from bacterial molecular biology through human clinical sample processing through high-throughput sequencing — while serving as senior bench scientist, trainer, and trusted adviser to the PI on everything that keeps a productive research group running.
This role is ideal for an experienced research scientist who enjoys working across multiple biological systems, building infrastructure, mentoring less experienced colleagues, and taking pride in operational excellence. You will not be expected to drive a separate independent research programme; rather, you will enable and accelerate everyone else's. In return, you will be a core, named contributor on ambitious science, with a genuine voice in how the lab is built.
Lab operations and infrastructure
- Lead the build-out and ongoing operation of the lab's wet-bench facilities at ETH, including equipment selection, installation, qualification, and routine maintenance contracts
- Establish and maintain shared resources: cell culture rooms, BSL-2 areas, sequencing prep zones, –80 °C and liquid-nitrogen storage, autoclaves, common reagent stocks, and instrument calendars
- Own ordering, supplier relationships, inventory management, and stockroom organisation across consumables and reagents; negotiate framework agreements where useful
- Maintain and audit core SOPs, sample-tracking systems, and electronic lab notebook practices across the group
- Serve as the lab's interface with ETH core facilities (e.g., Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ScopeM, Genome Engineering & Measurement Lab) and external service providers
Bacterial molecular biology and biochemistry — E. coli regulome
- Run and oversee a molecular cloning pipeline for E. coli — design and assembly of plasmids and genome-integrated constructs, strain construction, and storage
- Set up and maintain biochemical workflows relevant to regulatory studies: protein expression and purification, in vitro transcription, and quantitative biochemistry as projects require
- Establish microbial growth, induction, and time-course infrastructure, including plate readers, continuous-culture systems, and microfluidics interfaces where relevant
- Train new lab members in fundamental microbiology, sterile technique, and standard E. coli genetics; troubleshoot stuck cloning and expression projects
Mammalian cell biology and tissue handling — single-cell atlases
- Run and supervise mammalian cell culture (primary cells, iPSC-derived cells, established lines), including media preparation, line authentication, and biobanking
- Establish robust workflows for tissue dissociation, single-cell and single-nucleus suspension preparation, FACS-based cell sorting, and quality assessment
- Coordinate the tissue-acquisition pipeline with clinical and academic partners — biospecimen agreements, chain-of-custody documentation, fixation and shipping logistics, ethics-approved sample handling
Liquid biopsy and cell-free nucleic acid workflows
- Operate and maintain low-input cfDNA and cfRNA extraction workflows
- Implement and refine cfNA library-preparation protocols (small-input WGS, methylation/EM-seq, fragmentomics, targeted panels, cfRNA-seq) and contribute to method development for new assay modalities
- Establish quality-management practices appropriate to clinical-grade samples
High-throughput sequencing
- Serve as the lab's senior practitioner for sequencing workflows— including library QC, pooling, balancing, and instrument operation or vendor coordination
- Establish QC dashboards and acceptance criteria across library types (bulk RNA-seq, single-cell RNA/ATAC, spatial, cfDNA/cfRNA, microbial)
- Coordinate with computational team members on sample sheets, demultiplexing, primary QC, and timely return of FASTQs and standard metrics
- Maintain relationships with the Functional Genomics Center Zurich and external sequencing providers to handle overflow and specialty platforms
People, training, and culture
- Onboard new lab members (postdocs, PhD and MSc students, technicians, visitors); design and deliver hands-on training in core methods
- Mentor junior research staff and rotation students at the bench; lead routine technical lab meetings and troubleshooting clinics
- Foster a rigorous, collaborative, and psychologically safe lab culture; embody and reinforce expectations around reproducibility, careful record-keeping, and intellectual honesty
Compliance, safety, and ethics
- Serve as the lab's biosafety officer and primary point of contact for ETH Safety, Security, Health & Environment (SGU); maintain BSL-1/BSL-2 documentation, GMO and pathogen registrations as applicable
- Ensure compliance with Swiss regulations on the use of human biological samples and personal data (Human Research Act, Federal Act on Data Protection), including ethics submissions and amendments
- Manage chemical inventory, waste streams, radiation safety (where applicable), and animal-work documentation in coordination with ETH veterinary services
- Lead the lab's emergency-preparedness procedures and serve as first responder for incidents
Desired Qualifications
- Education: PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, genomics, or a closely related field; or a Master's degree with substantial additional research experience
- Bench experience: At least 5 years of hands-on experience post-degree in a research lab, with demonstrable senior-level expertise across at least two of the three core areas (bacterial molecular biology / mammalian single-cell genomics / cell-free nucleic acid workflows)
- Bacterial cloning and biochemistry: Independent experience designing and executing E. coli cloning, strain engineering, and protein biochemistry without supervision
- Mammalian cell biology: Fluency in primary and cultured mammalian cell handling, FACS, and tissue dissociation for single-cell genomics
- Sequencing: Direct experience preparing and QC'ing libraries for Illumina sequencing; familiarity with at least one long-read platform (ONT or PacBio) is a strong advantage
- Liquid biopsy / cfNA: Demonstrated experience processing blood for cell-free nucleic acids and the pre-analytical care this requires
- Lab leadership: Track record of training and supervising more junior scientists; ability to write clear SOPs and run a cross-functional bench operation
- Operational competence: Comfortable with budgets, ordering systems, equipment service contracts, and biosafety documentation
- Communication: Excellent written and spoken English; ability to interact effectively with clinicians, vendors, ETH administration, and external collaborators
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with single-cell genomics platforms (10x Genomics, Parse, Scale, Honeycomb) and spatial transcriptomics
- Experience with clinical or biobank sample workflows under ISO 15189 / ISO 20387 or equivalent quality systems
- Experience with Swiss research administration, ETH systems, or comparable European institutions
- German language skills
- A senior, intellectually central position in one of the most productive single-cell and measurement-science groups in the world as it moves from Stanford to ETH
- Competitive ETH salary and benefits, commensurate with experience and ETH guidelines
- A multi-year horizon: this is intended as a long-term role, not a stepping stone
- Substantial influence on lab design, equipment selection, and operational standards
- Co-authorship on publications you materially contribute to, in line with established practice
- Professional development support, including conference travel and technical training
- Relocation support for candidates moving to Basel, in line with ETH policy
- Basel: an exceptional city for science, science adjacent industry, and life outside the lab
In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future.
We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents as a single PDF:
- A cover letter describing your specific experience against the three core technical areas and your motivation for a lab manager role
- A full CV including a list of techniques in which you are an independent operator versus those in which you have working familiarity
- Names and contact details for three professional references, at least one of whom has supervised you directly within the past five years
Further information about our Department can be found on our Website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Stephen Quake, [email protected] (no applications).
Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.
