Lead Digital Pathology & Assay Development Scientist

Alimentiv; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

AcelaBio in San Diego seeks a senior scientific lead to drive immunostaining assay development, quantitative image analysis, and sponsor-facing science across preclinical and clinical programs.

You will build and optimize IHC, multiplex IF, and ISH assays, develop AI-assisted image analysis pipelines, and partner with pathologists and business teams to deliver rigorous, actionable data. On-site collaboration with cross-functional colleagues, travel ~10%.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree (M.Sc. or Ph.D.) in a relevant scientific discipline (pathology, cell biology, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, or related field).
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in IHC/IF assay development and image analysis in a CRO, biopharma, or regulated research environment.
• Demonstrated experience building image analysis algorithms or pipelines in platforms such as Visiopharm, HALO, or similar.
• Exposure to spatial biology platforms (e.g., 10x Visium, Xenium, Akoya PhenoCycler) is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, optimize, and validate immunostaining assays including single-plex IHC, multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF), ISH, and spatial biology platforms.
• Define analytical endpoints, scoring strategies, and QC metrics aligned with assay performance requirements.
• Develop, validate, and maintain image analysis pipelines using platforms such as Visiopharm, HALO, or equivalent software.
• Build and implement AI/machine learning algorithms for tissue segmentation, cell phenotyping, and biomarker quantification.
• Ensure traceability, reproducibility, and thorough documentation of all analysis workflows.
• Contribute to assay validation documentation, analytical reports, and regulatory-aligned deliverables.
• Partner with histotechnicians to support hands-on assay troubleshooting and knowledge transfer.
• Serve as a scientific interface for sponsors, participating in protocol reviews, study design discussions, and data review meetings.
• Provide expert guidance on biomarker study design incorporating omics and non-omics endpoints.
• Prepare and review project plans, analysis plans, study reports, abstracts, and technical manuscripts.
• Deliver clear, scientifically rigorous data visualizations, analyses, and summaries tailored to sponsor audiences.
• Support RFP responses, project pricing, protocol review, and bid defense activities.
• Contribute to the development of sales, marketing, and promotional scientific content.
• Drive continuous improvement of computational pathology, spatial biology, and translational research service offerings.
• Participate in capability development and functionality reviews to expand the AcelaBio service portfolio.

Skills

IHC/IF assay development

Image analysis pipelines

AI/ML for histology

English communication

Project management

Education

M.Sc. or Ph.D. in pathology / biology / biomedical engineering

Graduate degree required

Tools

Visiopharm

HALO

10x Visium / Xenium

Job description

AcelaBio in San Diego seeks a senior scientific lead to drive immunostaining assay development, quantitative image analysis, and sponsor-facing science across preclinical and clinical programs.

You will build and optimize IHC, multiplex IF, and ISH assays, develop AI-assisted image analysis pipelines, and partner with pathologists and business teams to deliver rigorous, actionable data. On-site collaboration with cross-functional colleagues, travel ~10%.