Senior Scientist

Job Description

Job Description

At Parallel Bio, we are using the immune system to unlock safer, more effective drugs. By creating access to genuine human biology in a diverse, reproducible, and scalable way we’re changing the way researchers find, test, refine, and deliver these life-changing therapies.

The human immune system is the master regulator of health and disease in our bodies. Current tools used to discover drugs that target the immune system are wildly inadequate. To fix this critical gap, Parallel Bio created a human ‘immune system in a dish’ to rapidly accelerate the development of new drugs and immunotherapies more likely to work in patients. This means developing drugs that are known to safely work in humans before the first patient receives the first dose and an end to needlessly destroying millions of lab animals in the pursuit of human health.

By blending this biological innovation with the latest in high-throughput lab automation and integrated data capture & analysis, we’re creating a new type of biotech – one that brings the advantages of cloud computing to next-generation wet lab studies.

Why Work With Us

As a biologist, joining our team means :

Pushing forward the understanding of how the immune system functions with real-world experimentation.

Helping create new experimental methods that can be repeated and varied from the keyboard instead of the bench.

Learning modern data & software practices - techniques considered beyond the cutting-edge in biotech.

Creating experiments where copies of the same organism can be held constant - either for varied treatments or repeated across replicants to drive down scientific uncertainty.

Access to diverse populations varied by sex, age, race, medical history can be used repeatedly and repeatably.

As a technologist, joining our team means bringing the rigor and scalability of computing into the biological domain :

Work a problem with clear benefits for humanity. This is work worth doing.

Bring modern software and data practices to biotech, an industry still catching up on 15 years of big data tech evolution.

The breadth of our systems is breath-taking : from low-level robotics programming to data science & visualization to AI models of immune response and everything in-between. As a small team we tend to work across these areas rather than be siloed into one of them.

Software is a first-class product concern at Parallel Bio, not a cost-center / service organization. We operate wet labs but we ship data-as-a-product.

Learn the intricacies of the biological computing system that is the human immune system : antibody selection and production is a complex search problem.

As part of our operations team, joining Parallel Bio means :

Playing a key role in enabling the seamless functioning of a pioneering biotech company driving groundbreaking drug discovery.

Supporting visionary leaders whose work is reshaping how therapies are developed and delivered to patients.

Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team at the forefront of science, technology, and innovation.

Gaining insight into the unique challenges and opportunities of scaling a high-impact startup.

Contributing to a mission-driven organization focused on creating safer, more effective drugs and transforming the future of human health.

The Role

Note to candidates : The requirements listed here are an exhaustive list of useful traits but not a hard list of requirements. Candidates who don't fulfill one or more of the listed requirements but still think they are strong candidates are encouraged to apply.

As a Senior Scientist , this is a foundational role at Parallel Bio, where we are pioneering a human immune system in a dish to revolutionize drug discovery. Our platform enables the rapid development of immunotherapies and other drugs that are more likely to succeed in clinical trials.

The immediate high-level goals for the person in this role are threefold :

Lead research efforts to improve our immune organoid platform, extending its capabilities in functionality, longevity, and integration with other organ systems.

Mentor and support junior scientists to strengthen scientific excellence and ensure adherence to best research practices.

Support the setup and development of our San Diego lab, ensuring it is equipped for high-impact research.

While this is a senior role, it will require hands-on experimentation in the lab. You will be expected to be a scientific innovator, designing and conducting experiments, troubleshooting assays, and analyzing complex immunological data. Additionally, you will collaborate closely with our automation and software engineering teams to optimize experimental workflows and advance our research platform.

As part of maintaining cell cultures and experimental continuity, this role will require some weekend work on a rotating basis to feed cells and maintain cultures.

This role reports directly to our Director of Platform Biology.

Areas of Responsibility

Research & Development :

Conduct hands-on experimentation in tissue culture, organoid biology, and immune system modeling.

Improve organoid functionality, longevity, and integration with diverse organ systems.

Develop novel disease models and explore how immune organoids interact with different biological systems.

Provide scientific input into computational tool development for analyzing immune response data.

Perform weekend cell culture maintenance as needed on a rotating basis.

San Diego Lab Setup & Operations :

Assist in setting up and optimizing the San Diego lab, ensuring it is fully functional for research.

Work with automation and software engineering teams to integrate lab processes with high-throughput data capture and analysis.

Establish best practices, lab protocols, and workflows to maximize efficiency and scientific rigor.

Mentorship & Team Leadership :

Serve as a senior presence in the lab, mentoring junior scientists and providing guidance on experimental design and best practices.

Ensure scientific rigor through regular feedback, ad-hoc meetings, and hands-on support.

Act as a leader from the bench, fostering a collaborative, high-impact research environment.

Platform Development & Partnerships :

Support platform improvements to align with strategic partnerships and industry needs.

Work closely with internal teams to translate research findings into scalable applications for pharma and biotech collaborations.

Integrate R&D advancements into production workflows to support future applications.

Work closely with the automation and data science teams to optimize research workflows.

Job Requirements

Technical Abilities

PhD in Immunology, Microbiology, Cell Biology, or a related field. Or Masters with X years of experience in field?

Postdoctoral (or near completion)  experience in academic or industry research focusing on immune response, drug discovery, or organoid models.

Strong expertise in organoids, tissue culture, immune cell characterization, and disease model development.

Experience with a broad range of biological assays and immunological techniques.

Understanding of computational tools for data analysis and immune response modeling (Python / R is a plus).

Organizational Abilities

Proven ability to lead research projects and develop new experimental approaches.

Strong mentorship and leadership skills, particularly in guiding junior scientists.

Ability to problem-solve and adapt to challenges in cutting-edge research.

Location

San Diego, CA (Hybrid model : in-person lab work with some flexibility for remote collaboration).

Compensation Range : $136K - $150K

Salary : $136,000 - $150,000