Background

The SecureDNA project

The SecureDNA project seeks to enable fast, reliable, cheap, automated screening of DNA synthesis orders, to prevent both careless and malicious users from synthesizing potentially-hazardous DNA sequences anywhere in the world. It is an international, academic/commercial partnership project, consisting of researchers from MIT, Tsinghua University, Aarhus University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and other world-leading academic institutions, in partnership with major international DNA synthesis providers. Our implementation languages are Rust and Python. Contact: jobs+site@securedna.org

Our goal is to develop an automatic and accurate screening system which can:

• Screen DNA synthesis orders much more quickly and cheaply than the current human-reliant review system;
• Have negligible impact on legitimate research by researchers authorized to work with particular organisms;
• Effectively block hazardous DNA sequences from being produced without suitable oversight, whether via accident or malice;
• Protect intellectual property by not disclosing the submitted DNA orders to third parties;
• Protect worldwide security by not disclosing potential hazards which may not be public; and
• Enable global commercial adoption, with community verification, via scientific diplomacy and open-source software.

To learn more, visit our website or read our technical whitepaper.

We are seeking developers and a software development manager to help build a team and implement the specification we have developed. This includes the initial beta release, scheduled for the next several months, with possible extension to the entire (multi-year) project. See below for specific descriptions.

No relocation is required; this is a 100% virtual position. SecureDNA has the flexibility to hire either as a full-time salaried position or as a contractor at industry-competitive rates. Funding is administered through MIT (US) and Tsinghua University (China).

Basic Requirements for all positions (developers and development manager):

• Significant experience working with secure software system development and deployment.
• Strong knowledge and experience with one or preferably both of the project languages: Python and Rust.
• Knowledge and experience with software testing and with git.
• Familiarity with common cryptographic software libraries and implementations.
• Fluent in English, including good writing skills.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with modern cryptography-based secure computing algorithms.
• Some familiarity with basic biological knowledge and DNA synthesis.

Benefits

• Flexible work hours and arrangement; remote and/or part-time are both acceptable.
• A critical role in implementing an important biosecurity system which will be deployed worldwide.
• Future opportunities in long-term collaboration with other research projects.
• Competitive salary and other benefits.

Developers

We seek developers with skills to help with:

• Writing a variety of components, mostly backend (storage, crypto, network) and a small amount of frontend (customer-facing web).
• Establishing a testing framework, including both unit testing and continuous integration.
• Deploying the system into the production environments of our DNA customers and vendor partners.

Development manager

Your responsibilities include:

• Assisting in locating, evaluating, and hiring developers to write robust, well-documented code.
• Assisting in development (coding, documentation, testing, etc) as appropriate and required.
• Planning and monitoring development schedules.

Contact: jobs+site@securedna.org  (principals only; no recruiters, please)