Automation Engineer – Abstract Bio – San Francisco, CA (on-site)

lab automation; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Abstract Bio in San Francisco is seeking its first Automation Engineer to help scale a robot-driven production platform. You will translate wet-lab workflows into reliable robotic methods and ensure systems run smoothly in a fast-moving startup environment.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years automating wet-lab tasks, strong Python skills, and a hands-on mindset. Experience with PyLabRobot/Opentrons/Hamilton is a plus; on-site SF lab reports to the founders.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years automating wet-lab work.
• Solid Python skills.
• Willing to take a robot apart.
• Knows why dead volumes and evaporation matter.

Responsibilities

• Move oligo synthesis, DNA assembly, QC and NGS prep onto liquid handlers and plate robotics.
• Write the robot methods, drivers and scheduling that tie the lab together, plus the agents that catch failures.

Skills

Python

Wet-lab automation

Robotics maintenance

Tools

PyLabRobot

Opentrons

Hamilton

Job description

I’m Jacopo, co-founder of Abstract Bio. We make synthetic DNA 4-10x cheaper than incumbents. Our first product’s demand outran our capacity within months, so we’re now building a 10x larger production platform that runs mostly on robots. We’re hiring our first Automation Engineer to build it with us.

What you’d do

• Move oligo synthesis, DNA assembly, QC and NGS prep onto liquid handlers and plate robotics.
• Write the robot methods, drivers and scheduling that tie the lab together, plus the agents that catch failures.
• Pick open hardware, PyLabRobot and a 3D-printed fixture over an expensive vendor integration.
• Keep the machines running, sometimes at 3am.

Who we’re looking for

• 3-5 years automating wet-lab work.
• Solid Python.
• Happy to take a robot apart.
• Knows why dead volumes and evaporation matter.
• Bonus: PyLabRobot / Opentrons / Hamilton experience, or DNA work.

Full-time, on-site in our SF lab, reporting to the founders.

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