---
title: 'Analytical Scientist I at Prolific Machines'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/analytical-scientist-i-prolific-machines-emeryville-ftqf10325f5k'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-14'
---

# Analytical Scientist I at Prolific Machines

- **Company:** Prolific Machines
- **Location:** Emeryville, CA
- **Compensation:** $120k–$140k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-08
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/prolific-machines/6da02354-6980-471c-95da-f5cc10d5d79c

## Job description

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology with light. Our first-of-its-kind optogenetic platform delivers unprecedented control, precisely guiding cellular behavior when and where it matters most. Unlike existing tools used to control biology, our technology enables dynamic, tunable control over virtually any cellular function in any cell type. We're enabling partners to unlock robust efficiency, quality, and reproducibility advantages across the most complex pharmaceuticals and therapeutic proteins. Prolific is supported by leading investors, including Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield and SOSV.

The Analytical Science team is looking for a talented scientist to collaboratively work with our R&D and Bioprocess teams to quantify and characterize broad classes of therapeutic proteins. A successful candidate will bring an outcome-oriented skillset to recombinant protein quantification and characterization. You will work collaboratively with our teams to produce and purify diverse proteins from cell culture processes and be comfortable conducting a wide range of protein quality assessments. This role will be based on-site in Emeryville, CA.

## Key Responsibilities

- Collaborate with cell line development and bioprocess teams for delivery of key internal technology programs and external customer projects.
- Develop, optimize, and validate assays for protein titer and quality for broad classes of recombinant therapeutic proteins.
- Plan and execute experimentation to understand protein quality through cell line, upstream and downstream process development.
- Execute, summarize, interpret, and present routine and complex therapeutic protein characterizations.
- Qualify and validate analytical procedures to compliance standards, upholding rigorous standards for execution and documentation.
- Routinely operate, maintain, and troubleshoot analytical instrumentation (HPLCs, FPLCs, mass spectrometers).
- Author, review, and implement methods, protocols, validations, and standard operating procedures. Ensure processes are followed in accordance with these standards.

## About You

- Hold a PhD in Analytical Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, with 1+ years of biologics industry experience. Candidates without a PhD but with similar industry experience are encouraged to apply.
- Have illustrated experience in therapeutic protein characterization approaches (eg. HPLC, SDS, CE, cIEF, LC-MS).
- Have illustrated the ability to develop, execute, and interpret intact mass, sequence confirmation, and PTM analysis (e.g., glycosylation, disulfide mapping, peptide mapping) through mass spectrometry.
- Have illustrated the ability to develop, execute, and interpret aggregation and charge variant characterizations for biologics.
- Have experience in the development and execution of GLP-compliant methods characterizing protein quality attributes across a wide range of therapeutic classes.
- Have hands-on experience operating LC-MS. Experience with Agilent QTOF instrumentation applied to assay protein quality is a plus, including familiarity with proteomic software.
- Are highly motivated to deliver successful outcomes for internal and external clients.
- Are excited to work with internal and external clients to deliver project excellence. Have strong communication skills and are comfortable teaching and sharing knowledge at multiple levels of technical detail.

Benefits: Generous equity package in an early stage company, retirement plan with company contribution, flexible PTO with healthy time off minimums, company-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability insurance, career coaching, mental health support, free team lunches everyday, great snacks, and companywide social events! Diversity: Prolific Machines values diverse perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where all employees can bring their authentic selves to work and have equal opportunities to succeed. Prolific Machines is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Location: The San Francisco Bay Area (Emeryville, CA)

## About Prolific Machines

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Prolific Machines uses optogenetics—controlling gene expression with light—to dramatically improve the productivity, quality, and control of biologics manufacturing.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A, later-stage)
- **Headquarters**: Emeryville, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Deniz Kent (CEO), Max Huisman (CTO), and others (including Declan Jones, CIO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biotechnology (Industrial Biomanufacturing, Synthetic Biology)
- **Target customers**: Biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing biologics (including complex, difficult-to-express molecules), and CDMOs (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations).
- **Mission statement**: “To enable the next generation of biologic medicines by transforming how they are manufactured.” [prolific-machines.com](https://www.prolific-machines.com/about-us)

## Products & Services
- **enLIGHTtened BioManufacturing Platform**: An integrated system combining optogenetics-enabled cell lines, plug-and-play illumination hardware (compatible with standard bioreactors), AI-driven process optimization software, and advanced analytics. It offers dynamic, real-time control of protein expression to boost yields and product quality. [prolific-machines.com](https://www.prolific-machines.com/about-us)
- **Preclinical Cell Line & Process Development Services**: Early-stage development services offered to pharma and biotech partners.
- **Platform Licensing**: Options for partners to license the technology for in-house or CDMO-based manufacturing.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available.
- **Total Funding**: $109M across multiple rounds (including a $42M Series A in September 2022, a $12M Seed round, and several earlier Convertible Notes). [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/prolific-machines)
- **Estimated Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5M (based on third-party estimates). [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/prolific-machines)
- **Notable Investors**: Includes a syndicate of over 12 investors in the Series A round, and a strong base of early backers.
- **Growth Signals**: Year-over-year headcount growth of +4.8% (reaching 54 employees). The company has expanded its team across the US, Ghana, France, and Denmark. Job postings for roles in engineering, operations, and analytical sciences indicate ongoing scaling. [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/prolific-machines)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Secret sauce technology**: Prolific is the first company to industrialize optogenetics for biomanufacturing, bringing dynamic, real-time control of gene expression that is not possible with traditional engineering methods.
- **Plug-and-play integration**: The illumination system and cell lines are designed to fit into *existing* bioreactor infrastructure, lowering the barrier for adoption by CDMOs and pharma.
- **Full-stack solution**: Combines hardware, cell line engineering, AI/software for process optimization, and analytics—a rare integrated offering in the biologics manufacturing space.

## Strategic Focus
- **Productization and scaling**: Transitioning from a development-stage company to a commercial platform provider, with a focus on selling services and licenses to biotech and pharma partners.
- **Real-world manufacturing**: Emphasis on ensuring the technology works seamlessly in high-volume, regulated GMP environments.
- **Enabling complex biologics**: Targeting the most difficult-to-produce molecules (e.g., bispecific antibodies, fusion proteins) for which current manufacturing methods are bottlenecks.

## Why Work Here
- **High-impact mission**: Directly enabling the next generation of biologic medicines that are currently limited by manufacturing challenges.
- **Collaborative, transparent culture**: The company emphasizes “rigorously sharing, testing, and developing ideas as a group” and judging ideas on merit, not origin. [prolific-machines.com](https://www.prolific-machines.com/careers)
- **Strong total rewards**:
    - Competitive cash compensation and generous equity packages.
    - Spot performance bonuses and retirement plan with company contribution.
    - Flexible PTO with healthy minimums.
    - Company-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance.
    - Free team lunches every day and great snacks.
    - Career coaching and mental health support. [prolific-machines.com](https://www.prolific-machines.com/careers)
- **Work model**: Roles listed on the careers page are currently **on-site** in Emeryville, California. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/prolific-machines)
- **Employee sentiment**: Strong ratings on LinkedIn (4.2/5 overall), with particularly high marks for Culture (5.0), Career (4.7), and Work-Life Balance (4.8). [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/prolific-machines)

## Sources
1. [prolific-machines.com - About Us](https://www.prolific-machines.com/about-us)
2. [prolific-machines.com - Careers](https://www.prolific-machines.com/careers)
3. [linkedin.com - Prolific Machines Company Profile](https://linkedin.com/company/prolific-machines)
4. [jobs.lever.co - Prolific Machines Open Roles](https://jobs.lever.co/prolific-machines)
5. [prolific-machines.com - Meet the Team](https://www.prolific-machines.com/team)

## Other roles at Prolific Machines

- [Optical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/optical-engineer-prolific-machines-emeryville-5gxs6p1z1xg3) — Emeryville, CA
- [Research Associate, Cell Line Development](https://feeny.ai/job/research-associate-cell-line-development-prolific-machines-emeryville-cc3dkn5hxe8t) — Emeryville, CA
- [Technical Project Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-project-manager-prolific-machines-emeryville-3c2m9sjngke3) — Emeryville, CA
- [Senior Software Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-platform-engineer-prolific-machines-emeryville-2xt4jbqk16bg) — Emeryville, CA