Sr. Scientist, Spatial Biology
Full-time
San Francisco, CA, USA
In this role, we are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Senior Scientist to join our team at the frontier of spatial biology and AI, driving hands-on execution, protocol development, and quality standards for spatial biology experiments on human tissue samples in a lab built to fuel next-generation AI models. The ideal candidate will have deep hands-on experience with in situ hybridization & proteomics techniques, spatial data analysis, and demonstrate strong troubleshooting, mentorship, and organizational skills. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a multidisciplinary laboratory environment at the interface between Spatial Biology and AI model generation.
As we scale up our data generation engine, this role is focused on driving impact through day-to-day execution, troubleshooting, and quality enforcement across a high volume of runs.
KEY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Independently plan, perform and troubleshoot spatial biology experiments on human tissue samples.
- Establish and enforce data quality standards across the team's experiments and analysis pipelines.
- Mentor and train team members on technique, rigor, and quality judgment.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Histology, and Scientific Operations to ensure seamless project execution.
- Actively participate in lab team meetings, fostering a collaborative and innovation-driven culture.
- Lead cross-functional projects with Engineering and ML Team members to design the next generation of data for AI model training.
REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- PhD in molecular biology, genomics, cell biology, biomedical engineering, or a related field.
- 2-5+ years of industry hands-on experience with spatial transcriptomics (CosMx, Xenium, MERFISH…); direct CosMx experience strongly preferred.
- Experience with spatial proteomics platforms (e.g., CosMx Protein, Akoya PhenoCycler, Lunaphore..) and immunofluorescence panel design are highly desirable.
- Proven ability to independently troubleshoot wet-lab and imaging-based assay failures, tracing issues back to root cause.
- Solid knowledge of spatial transcriptomics data QC metrics: transcript count distributions, segmentation quality, dropout/housekeeping-gene diagnostics, batch effects, and spatial artifacts.
- Comfortable enforcing standards across a team that includes both junior and more senior colleagues — this role requires leadership as well as technical skill.
- Excellent organizational, communication (oral and written), and documentation skills.
- Computational fluency.
Nice to have:
- Familiarity with cancer tissue biology and identity marker panels.
- Proficiency with Python or R for data analysis.
- Prior experience mentoring or informally leading junior lab staff.