---
title: 'Molecular Biologist at Pilgrim'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/molecular-biologist-pilgrim-redwood-city-1hvbws4y67cy'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# Molecular Biologist at Pilgrim

- **Company:** Pilgrim
- **Location:** Redwood City, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/pilgrim/5f184ea7-fe78-4f71-8823-a26852c09237

## Job description

About Pilgrim: Pilgrim is building America’s biology prime - engineering, manufacturing, and deploying advanced biotechnology for defense and national security. Our primary platform, ARGUS, is a fully autonomous system for detecting biological threats in near real time, from naturally occurring pathogens to engineered agents. We engineer hardware for biology, turning breakthrough science into fielded capabilities. Based in Redwood City, our team brings together mechanical and electrical engineering, chemistry, and biology under one roof to deliver critical technologies to the people who need them. Pilgrim has raised over $30 million to date and is backed by Peter Thiel, Brian Armstrong, Fred Ehrsam, Dylan Field, and Bryan Johnson, alongside Buckley Ventures, Conviction, Cantos, and others. About the Role: As a Molecular Biologist at Pilgrim, you’ll develop sample preparation, qPCR, and sequencing methods for ARGUS. You’ll design and run experiments to improve nucleic acid recovery, assay performance, and sequencing quality in complex environmental and low-input samples. You’ll turn those findings into validated protocols for reliable biological detection in the field. Responsibilities:

- Develop and optimize sample preparation methods, including lysis, nucleic acid extraction, purification, and concentration of environmental samples.
- Develop qPCR assays, including primer and probe selection, assay controls, and tests for inhibition and contamination.
- Optimize sequencing workflows, including library preparation, sequencing, and quality control for low-input and complex samples.
- Design and run controlled experiments to measure recovery, detection limits, specificity, and repeatability across sample types and input levels.
- Investigate unexpected findings with Bioinformatics, including contamination, preparation bias, and discrepancies between qPCR and sequencing results.
- Define reagent and handling requirements for validated methods and support their transfer to ARGUS with Systems Integration.
- Write and maintain protocols and experimental records, including method changes, reagent details, and results.

Qualifications:

- Strong foundation in molecular biology, microbiology, genomics, or a related field. MS or PhD is a plus, not required.
- Hands-on experience with nucleic acid extraction, qPCR, sequencing library preparation, and sequencing quality control.
- Advanced command of standard wet-lab equipment, instrumentation, and molecular biology techniques.
- Experience writing reproducible protocols and transferring methods to other researchers or laboratory teams.

Preferred:

- Experience with low-input or environmental samples, bioaerosols, metagenomics, or nanopore sequencing.

Pilgrim is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Certain positions require access to export-controlled information and are limited to U.S. Persons as defined by applicable export control regulations.

## About Pilgrim

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Pilgrim develops, validates, and deploys battlefield-ready biotechnology solutions to enhance the resilience and capabilities of military personnel.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Redwood City, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed (company was started by a 21-year-old founder, per Business Insider, but name not listed in available sources)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Defense and Space Manufacturing / Military Biotechnology
- Target customers: U.S. Department of Defense, allied militaries, and national security agencies (B2G)
- Mission: "Where biology meets the battlefield" — building the warfighter of tomorrow by transforming breakthrough science into decisive capabilities for those who operate at the edge.

## Products & Services
- **[Kingsfoil](https://pilgrimlabs.com/)**: A hemostatic dressing that seals wounds and promotes healing – designed for battlefield and civilian use. (Medical device)
- **[Voyager](https://pilgrimlabs.com/)**: An inhaled mist intended to neutralize chemical threats, protecting warfighters from chemical warfare agents. (Biotechnology product)
- **[ARGUS](https://pilgrimlabs.com/)**: A surveillance platform for detecting biological and chemical hazards in high-risk environments. (Monitoring / detection system)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$7.55 million**, including a $4.3 million Seed round (March 2025) and a $3.2 million Pre-Seed round (March 2025), plus an earlier Angel round (November 2023)
- **Notable Investors**: Cantos (Seed lead), Thiel Capital, Refactor, and others
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Headcount grew 50% year-over-year (from ~2 to 4 employees as of mid-2025)
  - 8 open positions posted on hiring platforms, indicating aggressive expansion
  - Featured in Business Insider (Aug 2025) for founder’s high-risk demonstration to secure funding

## Competitive Advantages
- First-mover focusing purely on **battlefield-ready biotechnology** for human performance and protection
- **Backed by prominent defense/tech investors** (Peter Thiel, Cantos, Refactor) lending credibility and network
- **Small, agile team** enables rapid prototyping and deployment of novel solutions
- Product pipeline addresses urgent, unmet needs (hemostatic control, chemical neutralization, bio-threat detection)

## Strategic Focus
- Move from concept to field-deployable products: Kingsfoil, Voyager, and ARGUS are in validation and testing phases
- Scale manufacturing and expand government contracts
- Continue building a talent-dense engineering and biotech team
- Extend dual-use applications (military and civilian emergency medicine)

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture** with direct impact on national security and warfighter survivability
- **Small, early-stage company** (currently 4 employees) offering outsized responsibility and the chance to shape product direction
- **In-office presence** in Redwood City, CA; some hybrid roles available (e.g., Biomedical Engineer on Built In)
- **Recent funding** provides runway and signals investor confidence
- **Exciting technical challenges** spanning electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, and industrial design – as seen in open roles

## Sources
1. [pilgrimlabs.com](https://pilgrimlabs.com/)
2. [LinkedIn – Pilgrim](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pilgrimlabs)
3. [Built In – Pilgrim](https://builtin.com/company/pilgrim)
4. [VentureRadar – Pilgrim, Inc.](https://www.ventureradar.com/organisation/Pilgrim,%20Inc_%5Bdot%5D_/f199410e-2af6-4f52-af75-4125b4970d99)
5. [Black Flag Job Board – Pilgrim](https://www.blackflag.vc/hiring/pilgrim)

## Other roles at Pilgrim

- [Systems Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-integration-engineer-pilgrim-redwood-city-ya39bvqezt3q) — Redwood City, CA
- [Research Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/research-associate-pilgrim-redwood-city-zdbrbxs4n9hj) — Redwood City, CA
- [Bioinformatics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/bioinformatics-engineer-pilgrim-redwood-city-e9pp1ha1812b) — Redwood City, CA
- [Pathfinder](https://feeny.ai/job/pathfinder-pilgrim-redwood-city-9ynd0mh2qcmq) — Redwood City, CA / Washington, DC
- [Head of Talent](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-talent-pilgrim-redwood-city-147z2t8vaqgy) — Redwood City, CA
- [Supply Chain Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/supply-chain-manager-pilgrim-redwood-city-80yrw79n5229) — Redwood City, CA
- [Executive Assistant](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-assistant-pilgrim-redwood-city-pb2r1zb1r95j) — Redwood City, CA
- [Government Relations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/government-relations-lead-pilgrim-washington-mnh9nm8c97aw) — Washington, DC
- [Government Ops Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/government-ops-lead-pilgrim-redwood-city-hwv8wv33p07q) — Redwood City, CA / Washington, DC
- [Facilities Director](https://feeny.ai/job/facilities-director-pilgrim-redwood-city-ampmfgxsxhf2) — Redwood City, CA