---
title: 'Associate Scientist, Cell Culture at Element Biosciences'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-scientist-cell-culture-element-biosciences-san-diego-v0c7g7z87pas'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Associate Scientist, Cell Culture at Element Biosciences

- **Company:** Element Biosciences
- **Location:** San Diego, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-08-31
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/elementbiosciences/jobs/6175859004

## Job description

At Element Biosciences, we are passionate about our mission to empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity. We have built a highly efficient product-driven organization where employees can learn, grow, and thrive in a challenging but encouraging environment. We are committed to scientific integrity, collegiality, honesty, objectivity, and openness.

We are seeking an Associate Scientist, Cell Culture to support our research and development efforts in a BSL2 laboratory. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual with a strong interest in mammalian cell culture to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic lab environment. The associate scientist will be responsible for culturing, maintaining, and preparing cells for downstream applications. This role is San Diego-based and offers a great opportunity to develop expertise in cell culture techniques within a supportive research setting.

If you are eager to gain hands-on experience in cell culture and contribute to impactful research, we encourage you to apply!

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

- Independently perform and optimize mammalian cell culture workflows, including maintenance, passaging, cryopreservation, and harvesting across multiple cell lines
- Design and execute experiments to prepare cells for downstream assays, adapting established protocols as needed and troubleshooting deviations
- Monitor and evaluate cell growth, viability, and health using microscopy and analytical techniques; interpret results and flag anomalies proactively
- Analyze and summarize experimental data, and communicate findings to the team through reports and presentations
- Maintain rigorous laboratory records, including culture logs and experimental data, ensuring reproducibility and traceability
- Contribute to the development and refinement of SOPs and best practices for cell culture operations
- Ensure proper handling and disposal of biological materials in accordance with BSL2 safety guidelines
- Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D scientists to align culture outputs with project timelines and requirements
- Assist with general lab operations, including inventory management, equipment maintenance, and mentoring junior lab staff as needed

Education and Experience:

- Bachelor's degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field; Master's degree a plus
- 2+ years of hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture techniques in an academic or industry research setting
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot experimental issues and exercise independent judgment with minimal supervision
- Strong analytical and data interpretation skills
- Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple concurrent projects
- Experience working in a BSL2 lab required
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; experience presenting data to a team is a plus

Physical Requirements:

- Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time
- Frequently moves boxes weighing up to 20 pounds

Location:

- San Diego – on-site

Travel:

- N/A

Job Type:

- Full-time/Non-Exempt

Base Compensation Pay Range:

- $79,000 - $96,000

In addition to base compensation noted above, you will be eligible for stock options, discretionary annual bonus, no cost health insurance plans, 401k with company match, and flexible paid time off.

Please note: Base compensation will depend on multiple factors, including geographic location, qualifications, and experience.

We foster an environment such that all people are afforded the freedom to pursue their passions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.

## About Element Biosciences

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Element Biosciences develops affordable, high-quality DNA sequencing and multiomics platforms to democratize access to advanced biological analysis.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series E)
- **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Three scientists (names not publicly listed in detail, but described as industry veterans)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Genomics, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Multiomics
- Target customers: Research laboratories (academic, government, and biopharma), clinical researchers, and diagnostic developers (B2B, primarily research and clinical segments)
- Mission or purpose statement: “To empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity, and open the world of biology to new possibilities.” [elementbiosciences.com/about](https://www.elementbiosciences.com/about)

## Products & Services
- **[AVITI™ System]**: A benchtop DNA sequencing system that delivers high-quality, affordable sequencing (the company announced a $200 genome). Uses proprietary Avidity™ chemistry.
- **[AVITI24™]**: A 5D multiomics system launched in April 2024 that provides subcellular spatial co-detection of RNA, protein, and morphology on a single integrated platform, with no library prep required. Powered by ABC Sequencing.
- **[VITARI™]**: A new platform/product line announced for scaling without the premium price (details emerging).
- **Reagent & Consumables**: Proprietary reagents with a price guarantee for the lifetime of the AVITI system.
- **Loop Genomics Acquisition**: Integrated long-read sequencing capabilities via the 2022 acquisition of Loop Genomics.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company). Total known funding exceeds $553M across multiple rounds.
- **Key Metric (Total Funding)**: $277M in Series D (led by Wellington Management), $276M in Series C, plus Series A & B from Foresite Capital and Venrock. An upsized Series E was announced in 2026 to accelerate global growth. [elementbiosciences.com/about](https://www.elementbiosciences.com/about)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Wellington Management, Foresite Capital, Venrock. Global distribution partners signed in 2023. Nearly 30 unique patents.
- **Growth Signals**:
    - Customer base spanning 40+ countries.
    - Technology used in 400+ publications.
    - Achieved ISO 13485 certification (June 2026), establishing a quality foundation for diagnostic applications.
    - Opened new headquarters at the Alexandria Tech Center in San Diego.
    - Upsized Series E financing in 2026 to expand genomic, multiomic, and clinical research solutions.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Cost Disruption**: The company’s core differentiator is making high-quality sequencing affordable (e.g., the $200 genome) and accessible to labs of all sizes, challenging incumbents like Illumina.
- **Integrated Multiomics**: The AVITI24 platform is a first-of-its-kind 5D system that combines sequencing with spatial protein and RNA detection in a single workflow, eliminating the need for library prep.
- **Reagent Price Guarantee**: A lifetime reagent price guarantee on the AVITI system provides cost predictability for customers.
- **Founding Team & IP**: Founded by industry veterans with deep domain expertise, supported by a strong patent portfolio (30 patents).

## Strategic Focus
- **Global Commercial Expansion**: Scaling sales and support infrastructure across 40+ countries, with specific focus on APJ and EMEA regions (as seen in job postings for Field Applications Scientists and Territory Managers in those regions).
- **Clinical & Diagnostic Entry**: Leveraging ISO 13485 certification to move into regulated diagnostic applications.
- **Ecosystem Expansion**: Building out the AVITI24 multiomics platform and the VITARI scaling platform to capture a broader share of the multiomics and clinical research markets.
- **Talent Acquisition**: Actively hiring across R&D, Commercial, Operations, and Quality functions to support rapid growth.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: The company emphasizes five core values: “We Disrupt the Norm,” “We Lead with Respect,” “We Overcome Challenges with Grit,” “We Own Our Success and Failures,” and “We Embrace Authenticity.” They describe a culture of accountability, transparency, and collaboration.
- **Compensation & Benefits**:
    - 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage.
    - Premier mental health care (Spring Health partnership).
    - $10,000 fertility benefit.
    - Paid parental leave.
    - 401(k) match and stock options.
    - Paid flexible time off (FTO) for both exempt and non-exempt employees.
    - Free access to local Alexandria EXOS gyms.
    - Pet insurance and identity theft protection.
- **Work Model**: Roles range from onsite (San Diego HQ) to fully remote (APJ, Canada, France). The company has a paid, 10-week onsite summer internship program with a 4.86/5 intern satisfaction rating.
- **Growth Opportunity**: Joining a fast-growing, well-funded private company at a pivotal moment of commercial scaling and product expansion, with a mission-driven focus on accelerating science.

## Sources
1. [elementbiosciences.com](https://www.elementbiosciences.com/)
2. [elementbiosciences.com/about](https://www.elementbiosciences.com/about)
3. [elementbiosciences.com/careers](https://www.elementbiosciences.com/careers)
4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/elementbiosciences](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/elementbiosciences)
5. [elementbiosciences.com/careers/openings](https://www.elementbiosciences.com/careers/openings)

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