About Pioneer Labs
Pioneer Labs is engineering the first microbes that will be used on Mars. We are building an engineering platform that allows us to cultivate hearty critters that can grow robustly even in extreme conditions. We aim for this research to make biomanufacturing ubiquitous, reliable, and green - on Earth and beyond.
To do so, Pioneer is building a platform for polyextremophile microbial engineering . Our approach combines functional genomics and robotics accelerated evolution to rapidly engineer microbes that are tailored to suit harsh, unusual conditions found in biomanufacturing.
We are a nonprofit startup based in San Francisco, California . We do moonshot marsshot science with an agile, startup-like team. Pioneer is incubated at the Astera Institute, and is a pilot project of Align to Innovate. See https://www.pioneer-labs.org/ for more information.
Senior Research Associate
Pioneer is seeking a Senior Microbiology Research Associate to join the team as Employee #5 and establish our platform for polyextremophile microbe engineering. We are an all-in-person team located in Potrero Hill, San Francisco.
Salary and benefits
Pioneer Labs takes a market-based approach to compensation. The candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and interview performance. We benchmark salaries based on equivalents in for-profit biotech startups.
We offer benefits including: Health Insurance (inc. medical, dental, and vision) for employee and dependents, family leave (up to 12 weeks), a flexible time off policy, and a 403(b) plan.
Key responsibilities

• Designing, executing, and optimizing molecular biology and microbiology protocols, including PCR techniques, molecular plasmid cloning, high-throughput DNA isolation, next-generation sequencing.
• Developing and executing microbial growth benchmarking assays and directed evolution workflows.
• Leading projects involving non-model microbes, including the development and implementation of novel methods to improve accuracy, efficiency, or sensitivity in experimental protocols.
• Overseeing data analysis and interpretation, ensuring high-quality results and comprehensive understanding of experimental outcomes.
• Preparing and delivering research presentations.
• Providing mentorship and training to junior research associates and laboratory staff, fostering a collaborative and innovative research environment.
• Leading team meetings and contributing to strategic planning for research projects and laboratory goals.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to integrate research findings into broader organizational objectives.
• Managing inventory of laboratory reagents and supplies, including overseeing procurement processes and ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Supervising the production of in-house stocks of media and competent cells, including conducting quality control and troubleshooting to maintain high standards.
• Coordinating administrative tasks, including maintaining accurate logs and records, managing laboratory procurement, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations.

Essential experience and competencies

• Associate's, Bachelor's or similar degree in bioengineering, molecular biology or similar
• At least five years of hands-on laboratory experience with molecular biology and microbiology
• Experience with strain engineering, directed evolution and/or working with non-model microbes
• Experience working in prokaryotes
• Experience with laboratory management
• Ability to think critically and employ scientific problem-solving and troubleshooting
• Excellent interpersonal skills and written and verbal communication

Desirable experience and competencies

• Experience with programming (R or Python)
• Experience using laboratory automation, e.g. Hamilton Star, Beckman Echo, etc
• Experience working in single-celled eukaryotes

Pioneer Labs welcomes everyone
We believe diversity enriches our team and so strive to hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
We are an equal opportunity employer. That means we don't discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.