Scientist, Assay & Automation Development

Plasmidsaurus; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Plasmidsaurus seeks a PhD scientist to design, build, and validate robotic-enabled biology workflows, blending wet-lab expertise with emerging AI tools to accelerate discovery. You will lead cross-disciplinary efforts, develop methods that don’t yet exist, and translate ideas into functioning automated systems.

This role focuses on ownership and rapid iteration in a fast-paced biotech environment. You will work across disciplines to push the boundaries of knowledge generation and contribute to

Qualifications

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or a closely related wet-lab discipline.
• Strong hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques including PCR, cell culture, and sequencing.
• Experience developing, troubleshooting, and optimizing biological workflows.
• Practical expertise in protein expression.
• Experience with high-throughput display technologies (ribosome, mRNA, cDNA or phage display).
• Hands-on experience scaling workflows and improving throughput via robotics.
• Experience using LLMs and computational tools in scientific work.
• Data analysis skills to evaluate experimental results and guide decisions.
• Track record of developing, adapting, or implementing new methods to solve challenging research problems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate experimental methods that expand the range and complexity of scientific questions we can investigate.
• Establish new capabilities such as protein expression and purification, ribosome display, mRNA display, cDNA display, and other high-throughput molecular biology techniques.
• Adapt methods across disciplines and develop new approaches when established protocols fall short.

Skills

Molecular biology techniques

PCR and sequencing

Robotics integration

Data analysis

Education

PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or related

Tools

LLMs in scientific workflows

Job description

About Plasmidsaurus

Plasmidsaurus is on a mission to accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking a new level of productivity for scientists. Our sequencing services are used daily by thousands of innovators, including Nobel laureates, Fortune 100 pharma, and over 70,000 scientists.

We began by revolutionizing plasmid sequencing, making it exponentially cheaper and faster, with innovative sequencing technologies and a global network of laboratories that turn samples into answers in hours, not weeks.

Now we are expanding that same disruptive model across all of genomics. With the launch of our new RNA-seq service, we are taking a bold step toward our vision to sequence everything, providing scientists everywhere with faster, simpler, and more affordable access to the data that powers discovery.

Every team member at Plasmidsaurus plays a crucial role in driving the future of biotech research. Together, we are building the world’s most efficient sequencing engine that operates overnight, scales globally, and helps scientists make breakthroughs faster than ever before.

About the Role

We are now looking to combine our deep experimental expertise with robotics and emerging AI tools to rethink how biology experiments are performed and push the boundaries of knowledge generation. You will be developing new scientific capabilities to explore more questions, test more hypotheses, and generate knowledge at a speed and scale that hasn’t been possible before.

This is an opportunity for a scientist who loves both discovery and building. You’ll work across scientific disciplines, develop methods that don’t yet exist in our labs, and see your work move quickly from an idea to a functioning system, all while being laser-focused on answering questions that actually matter. This is not a role where you’ll spend your time repeating established protocols - you’ll help create entirely new ways to do science.

You are someone who:

• Enjoys high agency and high ownership work
• Is excited to reshape how experimental science is performed to accelerate discovery of the next generation of medicines
• Applies first-principles thinking and understands the science behind methods, not just how to follow protocols
• Understands the opportunities and challenges in scaling experiments
• Is a life‑long learner who learns quickly across disciplines
• Is excited to work in a tight‑knit fast‑paced environment with a motivated team
• Values clear communication and helping others learn new skills

What you’ll be doing

Develop New Scientific Capabilities

• Design, develop, and validate experimental methods that expand the range and complexity of scientific questions we can investigate
• Establish new capabilities such as protein expression and purification, ribosome display, mRNA display, cDNA display, and other high-throughput molecular biology techniques
• Adapt methods across disciplines and develop new approaches when established protocols fall short

Drive Experimental Discovery

• Lead research projects from hypothesis and experimental design through execution, data analysis, and iteration
• Use data, computational tools, and LLMs to accelerate experimental design, troubleshooting, and analysis
• Collaborate with scientists and engineers to integrate new capabilities into increasingly sophisticated automated systems

Accelerate Science Through Automation

• Translate complex, manual wet‑lab protocols into reliable, reproducible robotic workflows
• Build and optimize experiments for our fleet of liquid handling robots, identifying and removing the limits that prevent experiments from being automated
• Support our research team in the adoption of automated protocols

What success looks like

• Within 30 days: align with the team on the capabilities to build, and deliver at least one new robotics‑accelerated capability (e.g. protein expression and purification, or a high‑throughput display method)
• Within 3 months: independently lead an end‑to‑end robotics‑accelerated research project, and establish automated workflows reliable enough to become the team’s preferred approach
• Within 6 months: expand the robot fleet’s capabilities by closing gaps in methods, hardware, and automation; replace manual protocols with automated ones; build a foundation of reusable methods for more complex experiments

Qualifications:

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or a closely related wet‑lab discipline
• Strong hands‑on experience in molecular biology techniques, including PCR, cell culture, and sequencing
• Experience developing, troubleshooting, and optimizing biological workflows
• Practical expertise in protein expression
• Experience with high‑throughput display technologies (ribosome, mRNA, cDNA, or phage display)
• Hands‑on experience scaling workflows and improving throughput, reliability, and reproducibility through robotics
• Experience using LLMs and computational tools in scientific work
• Data analysis skills to evaluate experimental results and guide decisions
• Track record of developing, adapting, or implementing new methods to solve challenging research problems

We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description as we seek out diverse and creative perspectives. Team members who love to learn and collaborate in an inclusive environment will thrive with us. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please let us know at [e-mail].