Scientist, Stem Cell Biology

Conception; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Company equity

Excellent healthcare benefits

Job summary

Conception is seeking an excellent hands-on stem cell scientist to independently own complex workflows involving pluripotent stem cells and iPSCs/ESCs. You will design, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret experiments, with emphasis on PSC derivation, differentiation, and cell-state control.

The role focuses on building molecular and epigenetic readouts to characterize cell identity and function, and on advancing stem cell systems that underpin reproductive cell development.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in stem cell biology or related field.
• Strong hands-on pluripotent stem cell experience required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and advance PSC systems central to stem‑cell‑derived reproductive cells.
• Derive, differentiate, and control cell states; establish robust workflows.

Skills

Stem cell biology

Pluripotent stem cells

iPSCs / ESCs

Experimental design

Analytical biology

Education

PhD in stem cell biology

Job description

Experience level: PhD or equivalent industry experience. Demonstrated independent ownership of complex stem cell workflows and experimental programs.

About Conception

Conception is pioneering the future of reproductive biology by generating functional human eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We are bringing together stem cell biology, developmental biology, reproductive biology, genomics, and engineering to solve problems that have not been solved before.

For this role, we are looking for someone with deep expertise in pluripotent stem cells.

The position

We are looking for an excellent, hands‑on stem cell scientist with demonstrated experience working with pluripotent stem cells and independently driving complex experimental work.

Strong stem cell experience is critical. We are particularly interested in scientists who have worked extensively with human and/or nonhuman primate iPSCs or ESCs, including stem cell derivation or line establishment, expansion, banking, differentiation, and characterization.

At the Scientist level, we expect someone to independently own technically complex workflows: design experiments, execute them carefully, troubleshoot when they fail, interpret the resulting data, and determine what to do next. You should be comfortable systematically improving protocols rather than simply following them.

Experience taking PSCs through differentiation into specialized cell states is particularly valuable. Experience with QC assay development, epigenetic characterization, 3D culture, reproductive or developmental biology, and computational analysis of genomic readouts is also highly relevant.

This is a bench‑heavy role. We are looking for someone who likes doing difficult experimental work and is comfortable executing, troubleshooting, repeating, improving, and mastering technically demanding workflows.

What you’ll do

• Build and advance pluripotent stem cell systems that are central to developing stem‑cell‑derived reproductive cells
• Develop and optimize approaches for PSC derivation, differentiation, and cell‑state control
• Design experiments to understand what drives successful differentiation, cell quality, and developmental progression
• Build molecular and epigenetic readouts to characterize cell identity, quality, and function
• Use experimental and computational data to uncover what is working, what is failing, and what to try next

What we’re looking for

• PhD or equivalent experience in stem cell biology, developmental biology, reproductive biology, cell biology, bioengineering, or a related field
• Strong hands‑on pluripotent stem cell experience is required, ideally with human and/or nonhuman primate iPSCs or ESCs
• Experience with PSC derivation or line establishment, culture, differentiation, and characterization
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret experiments
• Experience analyzing and interpreting transcriptomic and epigenetic sequencing data is highly desirable, including bulk and/or single‑cell datasets
• Excellent experimental judgment, attention to detail

Why join us

• Impact: Help build the technical foundation for one of the most ambitious programs in reproductive biology
• Ownership: Take responsibility for difficult, high‑value workflows and help make them reproducible and scalable
• Growth: Develop deep expertise in technically demanding reproductive and stem cell biology methods
• Community: Work alongside passionate scientists tackling one of the most exciting frontiers in biology with a deeply aligned team
• Mission: Build the biological foundation for a new era of reproductive medicine, expanding what is possible for millions of people and families with limited options today

Come and work with us

We are well funded and well connected in Silicon Valley. We offer competitive pay, company equity, excellent healthcare benefits, and a collaborative research environment focused on meaningful results.

To learn more about the original mouse proof of concept to live birth that inspired us, see https://www.nature.com/articles/nature20104