Senior Automation Scientist

Location

San Francisco, CA

Full time

On-site

Science

• $160K – $190K

At Parallel Bio, we are leveraging the human immune system to unlock safer, more effective drugs. We believe immunotherapies are the future of medicine, but their discovery is hindered by outdated models that fail to capture the complexity of the human immune system.

Our platform overcomes these challenges by combining best-in-class human immune organoids with massive scale and advanced computational methods, including AI and machine learning. This allows us to generate unprecedented, population-scale insights into human health and disease.

We can rapidly discover new drugs that we know will work in patients from the start and understand how they will perform across an entire population—something not possible with today's technology. This knowledge will allow us to engineer therapies that will work for as many people as possible, ensuring a safe and effective cure for everyone.

We are a fast-paced, venture-backed company at a pivotal moment of growth. Join us on our journey as we create new tools to push the boundaries of what is possible.

We are hiring an Automation Scientist who uniquely bridges the gap between high-level immunology and advanced robotics. At Parallel Bio, automation is not just a tool for efficiency; it is the essential delivery mechanism for our science. We need an automation scientist who understands that a T-cell behaves differently in a 384-well plate than in a vial, and who has the technical skill to develop protocols that handle that complexity.

This is a foundational, hands-on role where you will be expected to be a technically-creative builder, fluent in the biological nuances of primary human cells and the mechanical "stack" of automation. Reporting to the Director of Product Management, Automation
, you will ensure our hardware produces the high-fidelity biological data required to power our AI engine.

• Scientific Translation: You will translate manual bench-top organoid protocols into automated SOPs for seeding, culturing, media changes, and complex stimulations.

• Automated Analytics: Own the automation of high-dimensional immune assays. You will lead the transition of analytical workflows including, flow cytometry staining, multiplexed functional readouts, and single-cell RNA-seq preparation onto automated platforms, ensuring biological integrity is maintained across thousands of samples.

• Automated Process Optimization
  :
  Design, implement, and iterate protocols on liquid handling systems; tune pipetting parameters and process steps to preserve cell health and assay integrity.

• Validation & Biological Fidelity: Drive enhancements to automation platforms to improve data accuracy and increase throughput. You will be responsible for validating that the "automated organoid" is biologically equivalent (or superior) to the manual model, specifically managing variables like shear stress and evaporation.

• Vendor & Infrastructure Management: Cultivate relationships with external vendors to provision and customize components for Parallel Bio’s unique organoid needs.

• Translate bench cell-handling protocols into automation-ready workflows with clear assumptions, constraints, and acceptance criteria.

• Design, implement, and iterate automated methods on liquid handling platforms.

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Optimize workflows for throughput, reproducibility, and cell health by tuning parameters (mixing, aspiration/dispense rates, tip, volumes, incubation timing, plate formats, etc.).

• Apply best practices in cell handling to maintain consistency (viability, shear sensitivity, temperature/time constraints, gentle mixing, clumping mitigation).

• Propose protocol and assay changes that preserve scientific intent while improving automation feasibility (reduce manual judgment steps, standardize inputs, minimize variability).

• Validate workflows and troubleshoot failures across hardware, consumables, protocol logic, and environmental factors; run structured experiments to isolate root causes and take corrective actions.

• Create SOPs, runbooks, and training materials; coach bench…