Senior Scientist

Role

This is a full-time, onsite role in San Francisco.

You will lead the development, optimization, and scaling of advanced human tissue models for therapeutic discovery at Vivodyne. This role is focused on building robust, biologically faithful in vitro tissue systems that generate actionable data and can be deployed reproducibly at scale within Vivodyne’s automated experimental platform.

As a Senior Scientist on the Bioengineering team, you will own a scientific program centered around a specific tissue system or disease model (e.g. liver, lung, gut), driving projects from early biological hypothesis generation through mature, scalable workflows suitable for high-throughput experimentation and therapeutic evaluation.

You will work cross-functionally with bioengineers, computational biologists, AI scientists, roboticists, hardware engineers, and translational researchers to develop next-generation human tissue platforms that enable deeper understanding of human biology and drug response.

This role requires exceptional experimental rigor, deep technical expertise in complex cell culture systems, strong scientific reasoning, and the ability to make sound, data-driven decisions in ambiguous and fast-moving environments. We are looking for a scientist who combines deep biological intuition with disciplined execution and who consistently designs experiments that produce clear, actionable conclusions.

Responsibilities

Tissue Model Development

• Lead development and optimization of complex in vitro human tissue models using primary human cells and advanced 3D culture systems.
• Design, execute, and interpret experiments to improve tissue phenotype, stability, scalability, reproducibility, and biological relevance.
• Develop healthy and disease-state tissue models across multiple organ systems and therapeutic areas.
• Drive mechanistic understanding of tissue behavior through multimodal characterization approaches.

Experimental Leadership

• Independently design rigorous experimental strategies with clear success criteria, controls, and actionable outcomes.
• Generate high-quality datasets using approaches including confocal imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics, flow cytometry, and functional assays.
• Analyze and synthesize complex biological data to guide model optimization and program direction.
• Troubleshoot difficult experimental problems systematically using first-principles reasoning and quantitative analysis.
• Establish and refine SOPs and experimental workflows suitable for scalable automated execution.

Platform Scaling & Automation

• Partner closely with robotics and hardware teams to adapt tissue workflows for automated operation and large-scale experimentation.
• Support transfer of tissue models from exploratory R&D into reliable production-grade workflows.
• Identify sources of experimental variability and implement strategies to improve robustness and reproducibility.
• Contribute to the development of scalable assay and tissue characterization pipelines.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a scientific lead and subject matter expert for tissue biology programs.
• Interface closely with AI, computational biology, software, automation, and translational science teams.
• Present experimental findings clearly and effectively to internal leadership and external collaborators.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to building a culture of scientific rigor, operational excellence, and world class experimentation.

Scientific Documentation & Operational Excellence

• Maintain meticulous experimental records, protocols, analyses, and decision rationale.
• Ensure experimental conclusions are reproducible, well-supported, and operationally actionable.
• Contribute to internal scientific standards for data quality, assay validation, and experimental design.
• Drive continuous improvement of workflows, assays, and organizational scientific practices.

Requirements and Expectations

Required Qualifications

• PhD in bioengineering, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, developmental biology, genetics, or a related field.
• 2–4 years of industry experience following PhD and/or postdoctoral training in biotechnology, therapeutics, tissue engineering, or related fields.
• Demonstrated record of scientific achievement through high-impact publications, patents, awards, or other evidence of advancing the state of the art in your field. 
• Deep expertise in mammalian cell culture, including primary human cells and complex 3D tissue models.
• Extensive hands-on experience designing and executing sophisticated in vitro experiments with strong experimental controls and reproducibility.
• Expertise with modern biomolecular and cellular characterization techniques including:
• confocal imaging,
• flow cytometry,
• transcriptomic workflows,
• proteomic assays,
• next-generation sequencing workflows,
• and interpretation of resulting datasets.
• Mastery of experimental design, assay development to fit experimental needs, and quantitative biological analysis.
• Proven ability to independently drive complex technical programs in fast-paced R&D environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing organoid, organ-on-chip, or microphysiological systems.
• Experience scaling biological workflows into automated or high-throughput systems.
• Experience working with multimodal datasets integrating imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics, and functional readouts.
• Familiarity with computational analysis tools for biological data interpretation.
• Experience supporting translational, preclinical, or therapeutic discovery programs.

What We’re Looking For

Scientific Judgment

You design experiments with intent. You understand how to distinguish signal from noise, identify the critical question, and execute the next experiment that most efficiently moves a program forward. You are rigorous, skeptical, and deliberate in your reasoning, and you hold a high standard for experimental quality and interpretation.

Experimental Excellence

You are an exceptional experimentalist with deep technical fluency and strong laboratory instincts. You understand the importance of controls, reproducibility, assay validation, and operational precision alongside speed. You can troubleshoot complex biological systems systematically and efficiently.

Ownership & Execution

You take ownership of programs and outcomes. You are highly organized, reliable, and capable of managing multiple priorities while maintaining scientific quality and attention to detail. You understand that excellent science requires both creativity and disciplined execution.

Collaboration & Communication

You communicate clearly, document thoroughly, and work effectively across disciplines. You can explain complex biological concepts to engineers, computational scientists, and leadership teams while incorporating feedback from diverse stakeholders.

Adaptability & Focus

You remain thoughtful and effective in dynamic environments. You can tune out noise, prioritize effectively, and maintain focus on the highest-value scientific questions. You are comfortable operating in ambiguity while maintaining scientific rigor and clarity of thought.

Why Vivodyne?

• High-Impact Mission — Play a foundational role in transforming drug discovery through computational biology applied to the richest human tissue datasets in existence.
• Method, Not Just Application — You won't just run pipelines. You'll decide what pipelines should exist, whether they're working, and what should replace them.
• Multi-Disciplinary Exposure — Work alongside experts in robotics, AI, tissue engineering, and microfluidics in a deeply cross-functional setting.
• Growth Opportunities — A fast-growing startup with significant autonomy, ownership, and direct influence over the biological data infrastructure and analytical strategy.

Vivodyne, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Vivodyne complies with all laws respecting equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants with regard to any protected characteristic as defined by federal, state, and local law.