Scientist

Abstract Bio; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Abstract Bio is seeking its first Scientist to build, run, and scale a wet-lab infrastructure capable of producing millions of synthetic sequences. You will own end-to-end workflows from method development to cost-per-base optimization, and lead automation of the manufacturing platform.

You will collaborate with a computational biologist to turn customer orders and metadata into efficient, auditable data flows, ensuring fast delivery, impeccable QC, and room for growth as the company expands.

Qualifications

• Proven mastery of molecular biology with cloning/DNA engineering experience.
• Experience solving high-throughput sequencing problems at scale.
• Ability to design scalable wet-lab workflows and automation.
• Strong systems thinking and automation mindset for high-volume work.
• Comfort working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Set up the wet-lab stack including liquid handlers and dispensers to scale production.
• Turn customer orders and metadata into smooth physical and digital data flows.
• Design and build the first Life Factory and become its principal architect.

Skills

Molecular biology

Automation

Experiment design

Data collaboration

Systematic thinking

Tools

Liquid handlers

Non-contact dispensers

Sequencing instruments

Automation software

Job description

We are on a mission to become the first Life Factory, and our first target is the commoditization of DNA, the prima materia of biology. As our first Scientist, you will build, run, and scale the wet lab that synthesizes and ships millions of synthetic sequences. The best candidate values personal impact over everything else and is excited by hands-on, high-volume work. Your role will evolve with time; you should be excited by that and step up when needed. THIS IS NOT A 9 TO 5.

STORY AND MISSION

In a world where intelligence is becoming commoditized, it is the availability of physical substrates that will dictate where breakthroughs happen. Abstract Bio is the Life Factory that will unlock AI for biology, starting from DNA, the first building block.

We launched our first DNA product within 6 months of founding the company, making us one of the fastest biotech companies to market. Now we had to pause production due to excess demand and are focusing on expanding our operations.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

We are turning DNA into a commodity, and we need a builder who is excited by unprecedented scales. As our first scientist, you will architect a wet-lab infrastructure that enables the synthesis and delivery of millions of synthetic sequences.

You will own the full stack end-to-end: from contributing to method development to reach the cheapest cost per base-pair on the market; leading the automation and the evolution of the manufacturing platform, to scaling up manufacturing from hundreds to tens of thousands of genes in a matter of months. Your choices will affect the company’s ability to generate revenue and serve customers promptly and with impeccable QC.

This is a company-defining role. We will give you the autonomy to do your life’s best work, real room for growth, and a front-row seat in building the team and culture you would be proud to be associated with.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Set the technical North Star. Set up the wet-lab stack: liquid handlers, non-contact dispensers, and molecular biology instrumentation to scale our production factory.

Turn digital DNA into physical DNA. Working with our computational scientist, you will turn messy orders, including customer sequences as well as metadata, into smooth flows of both physical and digital information which can be easily queried, modified and annotated.

Design and build the Life Factory. Design the first Life Factory the world has ever witnessed, complete with technical specifications, designs flexible to expansion and quality control measures. Turn the Life Factory from technical specs into reality and grow into its principal architect and operator.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

You are a master of molecular biology. You faced challenging cloning, DNA engineering or high-throughput sequencing problems, which you solved by stretching what is possible with DNA.

You think in systems. Inefficiency deeply bothers you, so you seek to automate every workflow, from liquid handling to sample labelling and QC, minimizing human error wherever possible.

You are unfazed by big numbers. Whether you have to manufacture 100, 1,000, or 10,000 gene fragments, you approach the job orderly and systematically and never miss a deadline.

You are insatiably curious. You learn fast and enjoy turning every problem into a biological problem.

You move fast in ambiguity. When things are not certain, you are biased towards trial-and-error and fast iterations.

You are a relentless optimist. You can think clearly under stress and stay excited about the big picture even when things are not working as you would hope.

You are an analytical communicator. Although performing data analysis is not the focus of this job, you must be able to interact with computational biologists to help them inform and troubleshoot results.

NICE-TO-HAVES

You are a sequencing wizard. You have experience in working with high-throughput long-read and short-read sequencing technologies (ONT, PacBio, Illumina).

You can multiply yourself. Abstract Bio’s ethos has speed at its core; we have a waitlist filled with demand, and we expect exponential growth once we resume production. You should be a magnet for talent or have worked with similarly rigorous and talented individuals who will jump at the right opportunity, especially if you are the one sounding the horn.