Process & Automation Engineer (cell culture and molecular biology)
SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening)
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is seeking a Process & Automation Engineer to design, develop, and automate cell culture and molecular biology workflows on-site at our Morrisville campus. This early-stage, permanent role offers autonomy, collaboration with leaders, and a path to build the process engineering function.
You will interface with biologists, hardware/software engineers, and operations staff to scale tissue-generation processes, implement closed-loop control,
Qualifications
- 2+ years in process development, lab automation, or bioprocess engineering roles in biotech or cell therapy.
- Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and stem cell workflows.
- Proficiency with molecular biology techniques (nucleic acid extraction, PCR/qPCR, sequencing prep).
- Experience with automation platforms and scripting for automation (Python).
Responsibilities
- Design and iterate automated workflows for cell culture and differentiation.
- Translate manual protocols to robust automated processes on robotic platforms.
- Develop molecular biology workflows and QC assays.
- Program and operate automation platforms; create scripts, APIs, and UIs.
- Collaborate with engineers to implement closed-loop control and real-time monitoring.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
We are building the technology and industrial base to make the promise of cell-based regenerative medicine available to everyone, for every ailment.
We are building the technology and industrial base to make the promise of cell-based regenerative medicine available to everyone, for every ailment.
We are a cutting-edge seed-stage biotechnology company building an AI-agentic deep tech platform to provide an infinite supply of unique functional tissues to enable transformative therapeutic solutions — at population scale. The platform seamlessly integrates software, AI, sequencing, and robotic solutions to listen to cells and adjust key parameters to guide stem cell differentiation. With a lean team of dedicated scientists and engineers, we are seeking a highly skilled Process & Automation Engineer to develop, optimize, and scale the automated biological processes powering our tissue engineering platform.
The Process & Automation Engineer will design, develop, and automate cell culture and molecular biology processes that bridge biology, robotics, and automation. This is an on-site (downtown Morrisville), paid, full-time permanent position. Ideally, the candidate ends up building the process engineering function of the company. You will collaborate closely with leadership, biologists, hardware and software developers, AI scientists, and operations staff to build robust, scalable processes that enable tissue generation at scale.
An early objective of the role is to iterate twice on the core platform of the company to establish a first prototype that meets key performance objectives in support of the long-term vision of the company.
Reports directly to the CEO. As an early member of a deep tech start-up led by biotech entrepreneurs with hyper-growth mentality, you will work closely with senior leadership and experience the early days of a start-up: autonomy, trust, and extremely high pace.
- Design, develop, and iterate automated workflows for cell culture, stem cell differentiation, and tissue maturation (e.g., media exchange, passaging, seeding, harvest, perfusion)
- Translate manual bench protocols into robust, reproducible automated processes on liquid handlers, robotic platforms, and custom bioreactor systems
- Develop and automate molecular biology workflows (e.g., sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, library preparation for sequencing, QC assays)
- Program and operate automation platforms; develop scripts, APIs, and UIs as needed to run differentiation campaigns
- Collaborate with hardware and software engineers to implement closed-loop process control, machine vision, and real-time monitoring
- Define critical process parameters and quality attributes; establish in-process monitoring and QC strategies
- Evaluate process performance, run failure and root-cause analysis, and optimize for robustness, reproducibility, yield, and throughput
- Maintain process documentation (protocols, SOPs, batch records, process flow diagrams) and ensure reproducibility
- Run troubleshooting campaigns with water and surrogate reagents to discover and fix bugs across the stack
- Run beta experiments with live cells to demonstrate fitness of processes for scientific and commercial applications; in collaboration with scientists
- Work closely with cell biologists and bioengineers to align process and biological performance targets
- Support scientific experimentation by rapidly iterating on process and automation needs
- Contribute to design reviews, safety assessments, and regulatory documentation as needed
- Provide training and technical support to lab and operations staff
- Communicate actively with leadership about technical, cultural, and any other corporate topics
- Contribute to platform roadmap and inform long-term process and manufacturing infrastructure strategy
- Identify and evaluate emerging technologies that could accelerate our manufacturing capabilities
- Participate in IP generation and protect novel processes through coordination with legal counsel
- 2+ years in process development, lab automation, or bioprocess engineering roles, ideally in industrial biotech, cell therapy, or advanced therapeutics manufacturing — personal projects or academic extra-curricular experiences are acceptable
- Hands‑on experience with mammalian cell culture, ideally including stem cells (iPSC/ESC) and differentiation workflows
- Proficiency with core molecular biology techniques (e.g., nucleic acid extraction, PCR/qPCR, sequencing sample prep, immunoassays)
- Experience with laboratory automation platforms (e.g., liquid handlers, robotic arms, automated incubators, plate readers) and scripting or programming for automation (e.g., Python)
- Strong understanding of aseptic technique, sterile workflows, and biological lab constraints
- Experience with bioreactors, perfusion systems, or fluidics is a strong plus
- Knowledge of DOE, statistical process analysis, and scale-up / tech transfer methods
- Comfortable working across disciplines in a small, dynamic team
- Strong problem‑solving and hands‑on abilities at the bench and on the platform
- Ability to manage time effectively in a resource‑constrained environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- BS, MS, or PhD in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, or related discipline
- Prior work in a startup, biotech startup, or cell therapy process development
- Experience with GMP, FDA, or ISO 13485 process and design control environments
- Demonstrated ability to take a process from bench protocol to automated, validated deployment
- Participation in scientific or engineering forums, competitions, or open-source contributions
- Competitive early-stage salary with substantial equity participation
- Regular compensation reviews as the company grows and funding milestones are achieved
- Full-time permanent position from day one
- Ground-floor opportunity to shape the process and automation backbone of a breakthrough biotech platform
- Work at the intersection of AI, software, sequencing, automation, and regenerative medicine
- Deep collaboration with a world‑class scientific and engineering team
- Build a hyper growth start-up from the ground up
- Entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment with significant autonomy
- Direct reporting to the CEO and close collaboration with the scientific co‑founders
- Opportunity to build a core process engineering function from the ground up
- Exposure to leading‑edge iPSC technology and regenerative therapeutics
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