Scientist, Senior Scientist

OneDigital NorCal HR Consulting; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) match

Onsite meals

Snacks

Job summary

Engram is a pre-seed startup developing an autonomous brain organoid platform. You will build iPSC-derived 3D neural models, integrate automation, imaging, and single-cell multi-omics into scalable workflows, and document data for rigorous fidelity.

Reporting to the VP of Biology, you will design assays, generate scRNA-seq and MEA datasets, mentor junior scientists, and collaborate with automation and computational teams to drive translational goals in a fast-paced startup.

Qualifications

• PhD in Neurobiology, Neuroscience, or related field required.
• Senior Scientist: PhD plus 5–8 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with iPSC-derived neural models and organoids preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and scale human iPSC-derived 3D neural models (organoids/assembloids) with reproducibility and throughput as priority.
• Generate and QC multimodal datasets (scRNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, MEA) across organoid lifecycles.
• Integrate automation and high-throughput tech into cell culture and assays.
• Collaborate across disciplines to execute mission and document results.
• Contribute to genome engineering strategies using CRISPR-Cas systems and delivery methods.

Skills

iPSC culture

organoid differentiation

automation integration

data analysis

CRISPR editing

team mentoring

Education

PhD in Neurobiology/Neuroscience

Tools

Hamilton automation

confocal microscopy

Fiji/ImageJ

CellProfiler

NGS workflows

Job description

Engram is a pre-seed startup whose mission is to drive neurology success rates towards 100%. To begin, we are building an autonomous brain organoid platform. We pair human iPSC-derived 3D neural models with custom automation, imaging, electrophysiology, and spatial/single-cell multi-omics to generate the multimodal datasets that will accelerate our understanding of neurological disease biology and enable therapeutic discovery.

Reporting to the VP of Biology, the Scientist | Senior Scientist will drive the iPSC model workflows at the core of Engram's scientific and translational efforts. The role also includes SOP development, automation integration, and continuous workflow refinement to improve throughput, consistency, and experimental fidelity. This includes differentiating iPSCs into cell types of interest, optimizing iPSC-based model systems, and building robust analysis pipelines. You are also expected to continuously iterate workflows to improve experimental fidelity.

In your first three months, you will establish disease cell-based assays, generate samples for scRNA-seq and MEA recording, and help design our protocol for organoid production. In 6 months, you will have worked to generate our initial perturbation dataset and conducted several experiments to improve predictive validity, variability, and throughput. Within a year, you will also have collaborated with the automation team to scale up our production and contributed to our translational strategy.

We're looking for a disciplined experimentalist who thrives in a hands-on, cross-functional setting. You'll work side-by-side with our automation, imaging, and computational teams and deliver high-quality engineered cell models and translate disease modeling concepts into production-level workflows that meet both research and translational goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and scale human iPSC-derived 3D neural models (cortical | forebrain organoids and assembloids; neurons, astrocytes, microglia) from line maintenance through differentiation, QC, and banking, with reproducibility and throughput as first-class goals.
• Generate and QC multimodal datasets across the organoid lifecycle (single-cell | spatial transcriptomics, high content imaging morphology, and MEA activity) to feed Engram's dataset.
• Integrate automation and high-throughput technologies (e.g., liquid-handling systems) into cell culture and assay workflows to increase throughput and data quality.
• Collaborate closely with team members across disciplines (automation, computational bio) to execute the mission.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of advanced genome engineering strategies using CRISPR | Cas systems, including lentiviral and PiggyBac delivery approaches and gene-expression modulation methods.
• Maintain accurate, well-organized experimental records and contribute to data analysis and reporting.

Required Qualifications

• Scientist: PhD in a relevant specialization of Neurobiology, Neuroscience, or a related field.
• Senior Scientist: PhD + 5–8 years of experience in Neurobiology, Neuroscience, or a related field.

Technical Skills and Competency

We don't expect you to have every single skill, nor do we have a single 'perfect fit' profile in mind. If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway.

Wet-Lab

• 3D neural organoid | assembloid culture (cortical, forebrain, or region-specific).

Strong aseptic technique and routine mammalian | iPSC culture, including feeder-free maintenance, passaging, cryopreservation, and cell banking.

maintenance, passaging, cryopreservation, and cell banking.

• Cell characterization by immunocytochemistry | immunofluorescence, flow cytometry | FACS, and RT-qPCR.
• Microscopy and high-content imaging (e.g., confocal), with image analysis using tools such as Fiji/ImageJ or CellProfiler.
• Experience developing high-throughput or automated genome-engineering pipelines using liquid-handling systems (e.g., Hamilton).
• Experience with NGS | multi-omics methods (e.g., single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics (Xenium/MERFISH/Visium), CITE-seq, Perturb-seq, long-read sequencing).

• Experience developing or optimizing workflows for reproducibility, scalability, or throughput (e.g., process development, screening platforms).
• Functional neuronal readouts such as multi-electrode arrays (MEA) are a plus.

Personal

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented research environment.
• Desire to iteratively improve your skills rapidly.
• Strong organization, prioritization, and adaptability in a fast-paced startup setting.
• Comfort in exercising judgement and taking action amidst uncertainty.
• Willingness to learn new techniques and tools.
• Prior experience mentoring or leading junior team members.
• Employer-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 401(k) match
• Onsite lunch and snacks

Actual compensation will be determined based on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Engram is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to hiring based on merit and qualifications, without regard to protected characteristics such as race, religion, sex, age, or disability.

For additional information, feel free to reach out to [e-mail] | [phone].