Scientist/Sr. Scientist, Spatial Omics Technology Development (Fixed-Term Contract)

Arc Institute; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 183,000; Full time

Job summary

Arc Institute in Palo Alto seeks a Scientist/Sr. Scientist for an 18‑month fixed-term contract focused on imaging-based spatial omics development for the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative.

Stabilize a custom imaging platform, adapt homebrew chemistry to organoids, and push workflows to screen-ready scale. The role blends academic research with biotech product development, requiring hands-on spatial omics expertise and cross-center collaboration.

Qualifications

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, bioengineering, or related field with 2–5+ years in academia or biotech.
• Extensive experience in spatial omics technology and/or product development.
• Hands-on experience with custom imaging and/or fluidic systems and instrument troubleshooting.
• Experience with tissue or organoid sample prep and in situ imaging-based assays (HCR, MERFISH, seqFISH).
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across teams; project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute testing and validation plans for the in-house spatial imaging platform.
• Troubleshoot hardware and software issues with external vendors.
• Collaborate to optimize spatial multiomic chemistry and sample-prep workflows for brain organoids.
• Execute end-to-end wet lab spatial perturb-seq workflows.
• Analyze imaging QC data with computational scientists and guide assay development.
• Track milestones and advance projects from concept to development and screens.

Skills

Spatial omics

Imaging platforms

Organoid workflows

Troubleshooting

Collaboration

Education

PhD in molecular biology

Tools

Imaging systems

HCR/seqFISH

Job description

Scientist/Sr. Scientist, Spatial Omics Technology Development (Fixed-Term Contract)

About Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accelerate scientific progress and understand the root causes of complex diseases. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco.

Unlike academia, our scientists have long-term funding and industry-like resources. Unlike industry, they're free to pursue high-risk, long-term research without commercial pressures. Arc's Technology Centers and Core Investigator labs work side by side, integrating experimental and computational biology under one roof to tackle problems neither could solve alone.

Our two Institute Initiatives reflect this model in action:

• Virtual Cell Initiative : Building a full-stack virtual cell model to identify disease mechanisms and nominate drug targets, accelerating the path from biological insight to clinical trials.
• Alzheimer's Disease Initiative : Mapping the genes, pathways, and environmental factors behind Alzheimer's disease to develop drug candidates that address root causes.

More than 300 Arconauts work together at our Palo Alto headquarters, backed by substantial long-term philanthropic funding.

About the position

We are looking for an outstanding scientist / senior scientist for a fixed term of 18 months to join our Multi-Omic Technology Center focusing on imaging-based spatial technology development for the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative. You will work closely with the spatial technology lead and collaborators across Arc tech centers and innovation investigators, to stabilize a custom imaging platform, adapt homebrew chemistry to arrayed human organoids, and help move our in-house spatial perturb-seq technology from proof-of-concept to a screen-ready platform for large scale studies.

The ideal candidate has a passion for developing technologies and robust systems and has a track record in spatial publications or product development. The role will split between system characterization/improvement and spatial multiomic (mRNA + protein + sgRNA) chemistry/workflow optimization/ execution. This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated scientist interested in the intersection of academic research and biotech system/product development. This 18-month fixed-term position is based onsite 5 days a week in Palo Alto. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

About you

• Curious, adaptable learner: You track state-of-the-art spatial technologies, exercise sound judgment adopting new methods, and pivot readily as priorities shift.
• Natural troubleshooter: You enjoy diagnosing hardware, chemistry, and software issues on an early-stage custom platform, staying calm and methodical under pressure.
• High-quality finisher: You find creative solutions and follow through with reproducible, high-quality results.
• Systems thinker and process optimizer: You design for scale, building reliable technology for real-world biology while balancing curiosity with rigor.
• Collaborative team player: You take initiative to contribute and support others, treating science as a team effort.

In this position you will

• Design and execute system testing and validation plans for the current custom in-house spatial imaging platform.
• Work directly with external vendors to troubleshoot and resolve hardware and software issues.
• Collaborate with the spatial omics project lead and internal partners to optimize spatial multiomic chemistry and sample-prep workflows for human stem-cell-derived brain organoids, adapting protocols validated in mouse tissue.
• Execute end-to-end wet lab spatial perturb-seq workflows.
• Collaborate with computational scientists to analyze imaging QC data and drive iterative assay development and decision-making.
• Track progress against key milestones and report on progress in internal meetings. Collaborate to move projects from proof-of-concept through development and screens.

Requirements

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, bioengineering, or a related field, with 2-5+ years of experience in academia or the biotechnology industry.
• Extensive experience in spatial omics technology and/or product development.
• Hands-on experience with custom imaging and/or fluidic systems, including instrument troubleshooting.
• Hands-on experience with tissue or organoid sample prep and in situ imaging-based assays (e.g., HCR, MERFISH, seqFISH, RCA, in situ sequencing).
• Hands-on experience with tissue microarray or low-input histology is a plus.
• Experience with image processing or spatial data analysis is a plus.
• Background in neuroscience, stem cell biology, or immunology is a plus.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, early-stage technology development environment with substantial hands-on troubleshooting.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across multiple teams.
• Strong project management and documentation skills.

The base salary range for this position is $128,500 to $182,500. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits.

Voluntary Self-Identification

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As set forth in Arc Institute's Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

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An "armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.