Software Intern, Autonomous Lab

Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.; Emeryville (CA); On-site; USD 37,700 - 53,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock awards

Comprehensive benefits package

401(k) program with employer contribution

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Job summary

A biotechnology company in California is seeking a Software Intern to help build a digital brain for its autonomous lab. In this role, you will develop Python protocols for lab instruments, aid in creating an AI interface for scientists, and work on data integration pipelines. Ideal candidates should be proficient in Python and interested in lab automation. The position requires onsite presence five days a week and offers a salary range of $37,700-$53,500, alongside comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Some skills in coding or related areas required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine Python-based protocols for controlling lab equipment.
• Assist in the development of LLM-based interface for scientists.
• Work on data pipelines for experimental data processing.
• Help integrate new hardware instruments into the software.

Skills

Proficiency in Python

Experience with hardware control or APIs

Interest in Lab-in-the-Loop technologies

Enthusiasm for laboratory automation

Job description

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in‑house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.

About the Role

Ginkgo Bioworks is constructing the world’s first "Total Autonomous Lab"—a facility where scientific work is requested by code and executed by robots, 24/7. We are looking for a Software Intern to help build the digital brain of this lab. You will work with Catalyst, our proprietary software stack that orchestrates fleets of Reconfigurable Automation Cells (RACs). This role is ideal for software engineers who want to apply their skills to physical systems or computational biologists who want to move beyond analysis into autonomous execution.

Responsibilities

• Enable "Protocols as Code": Develop and refine Python‑based protocols using the Catalyst Client to control liquid handlers, plate readers, and robotic arms.
• Build the AI Scientist: Assist in the development of Catalyst Agent, our LLM‑based interface that allows scientists to launch experiments using natural language.
• Integrate Lab Data: Work on data pipelines that automatically harvest, structure, and upload experimental data from RACs into our data lake for AI model training.
• Develop Device Drivers: Help integrate new hardware instruments into the Catalyst ecosystem, writing the drivers that allow our software to "talk" to new lab tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• No college degree necessary but some skills in coding or related areas required.
• Strong proficiency in Python; experience with hardware control or APIs is a plus.
• Enthusiasm for "Lab‑in‑the‑Loop" technologies where AI models drive physical experimentation.
• Interest in biological data standards and laboratory automation.

The base salary range for this role is $37,700-$53,500. Actual pay within this range will depend on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer company stock awards, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

It is expected that all Internships are onsite five days a week.

It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet.

As set forth in Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.