Founding Engineer (gn) – Hardware & Bioengineering, Munich

FoodLabs; München; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Cellsor is seeking its first engineer in Munich to develop the instrument that keeps living sensor tissue alive and samples the air it analyzes. You will take the current lab setup toward a field-ready prototype at a customer site within 18 months.

You will define the instrument architecture, build prototypes across mechanics, fluidics and housing, and integrate sensors, pumps and controllers for automated operation. Fluent English is required; German is a plus.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in mechanical, biomedical or bioengineering, or related field.
• Built a lab or medical device from concept to working prototype with CAD, rapid prototyping, and electronics integration.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to progress without a defined path.
• Hands-on and self-directed; testing on the bench preferred over long discussions.
• Fluent in English; German a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define the instrument architecture, then build prototypes across mechanics, fluidics and housing.
• Develop automated media exchange that keeps cells viable for weeks to months.
• Build the air path: sampling, filtration and controlled delivery of odorants to the sensor.
• Integrate sensors, pumps and controllers for monitoring and automation.
• Test and iterate with our Boston biology team.
• Contribute to grant applications.

Skills

Lab prototype development

CAD design

Electronics integration

Automation

Hands-on mindset

English proficiency

Education

MSc or PhD in mechanical/biomedical/bioengineering

Tools

Rapid prototyping tools

Microfabrication equipment

Job description

About Cellsor Cameras digitized vision. Microphones digitized sound. Smell is the one major sense we still can't capture, measure or transmit reliably. Cellsor is building the sensor that changes that. We replicate the mammalian olfactory epithelium outside the body – living olfactory tissue on microelectrode arrays – and read it out with machine learning. The result is a sensor that detects chemicals the way a nose does, with the breadth and sensitivity that conventional gas sensors lack. Applications span flavor and fragrance, defense and security, medical diagnostics, food quality and industrial monitoring. We are a VC-backed Tufts University spin-out with a working proof of principle and paid industry pilots, with teams in Boston (biology) and Munich (engineering).

About the role As our first engineer in Munich, you develop the instrument that keeps our living sensor tissue alive and samples the air it analyzes. You take it from today's lab setup to a field-ready prototype at a customer site within 18 months.

What you will do

• Define the instrument architecture, then build prototypes across mechanics, fluidics and housing
• Develop automated media exchange that keeps cells viable for weeks to months
• Build the air path: sampling, filtration and controlled delivery of odorants to the sensor
• Integrate sensors, pumps and controllers for monitoring and automation
• Test and iterate with our Boston biology team
• Contribute to grant applications

What you need to succeed

Must-have

• MSc or PhD in mechanical, biomedical or bioengineering, or a related field
• Built a lab or medical device from concept to working prototype CAD, rapid prototyping, and electronics integration
• Comfortable with uncertainty: you make progress without a defined path and decide what to build next
• Hands-on and self-directed – you'd rather test an idea on the bench than discuss it for a week
• Fluent English; German a plus

Nice-to-have

• Cell culture, perfusion or microfluidics
• Gas handling or air sampling S