---
title: 'Scientist, Assay & Automation Development at Plasmidsaurus'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/scientist-assay-automation-development-plasmidsaurus-san-francisco-jd40pr4cp2xj'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-04'
---

# Scientist, Assay & Automation Development at Plasmidsaurus

- **Company:** Plasmidsaurus
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-11-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-04
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/plasmidsaurus/809203b2-7380-450a-b7bd-6ffae86cb794

## Job description

## About Plasmidsaurus

Plasmidsaurus is on a mission to accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking a new level of productivity for scientists. Our sequencing services are used daily by thousands of innovators, including Nobel laureates, Fortune 100 pharma, and over 70,000 scientists.

We began by revolutionizing plasmid sequencing, making it exponentially cheaper and faster, with innovative sequencing technologies and a global network of laboratories that turn samples into answers in hours, not weeks.

Now we are expanding that same disruptive model across all of genomics. With the launch of our new RNA-seq service, we are taking a bold step toward our vision to sequence everything, providing scientists everywhere with faster, simpler, and more affordable access to the data that powers discovery.

Every team member at Plasmidsaurus plays a crucial role in driving the future of biotech research. Together, we are building the world’s most efficient sequencing engine that operates overnight, scales globally, and helps scientists make breakthroughs faster than ever before.

## About the Role

We are now looking to combine our deep experimental expertise with robotics and emerging AI tools to rethink how biology experiments are performed and push the boundaries of knowledge generation. You will be developing new scientific capabilities to explore more questions, test more hypotheses, and generate knowledge at a speed and scale that hasn’t been possible before. This is an opportunity for a scientist who loves both discovery and building. You’ll work across scientific disciplines, develop methods that don’t yet exist in our labs, and see your work move quickly from an idea to a functioning system, all while being laser-focused on answering questions that actually matter. This is not a role where you’ll spend your time repeating established protocols - you’ll help create entirely new ways to do science.

You are someone who:

- Enjoys high agency and high ownership work
- Is excited to reshape how experimental science is performed to accelerate discovery of the next generation of medicines
- Applies first-principles thinking and understands the science behind methods, not just how to follow protocols
- Understands the opportunities and challenges in scaling experiments
- Is a life-long learner who learns quickly across disciplines
- Is excited to work in a tight-knit fast-paced environment with a motivated team
- Values clear communication and helping others learn new skills

## What you’ll be doing

Develop New Scientific Capabilities

- Design, develop, and validate experimental methods that expand the range and complexity of scientific questions we can investigate
- Establish new capabilities such as protein expression and purification, ribosome display, mRNA display, cDNA display, and other high-throughput molecular biology techniques
- Adapt methods across disciplines and develop new approaches when established protocols fall short

Drive Experimental Discovery

- Lead research projects from hypothesis and experimental design through execution, data analysis, and iteration
- Use data, computational tools, and LLMs to accelerate experimental design, troubleshooting, and analysis
- Collaborate with scientists and engineers to integrate new capabilities into increasingly sophisticated automated systems

Accelerate Science Through Automation

- Translate complex, manual wet-lab protocols into reliable, reproducible robotic workflows
- Build and optimize experiments for our fleet of liquid handling robots, identifying and removing the limits that prevent experiments from being automated
- Support our research team in the adoption of automated protocols

What success looks like

- Within 30 days: align with the team on the capabilities to build, and deliver at least one new robotics-accelerated capability (e.g. protein expression and purification, or a high-throughput display method)
- Within 3 months: independently lead an end-to-end robotics-accelerated research project, and establish automated workflows reliable enough to become the team’s preferred approach
- Within 6 months: expand the robot fleet’s capabilities by closing gaps in methods, hardware, and automation; replace manual protocols with automated ones; build a foundation of reusable methods for more complex experiments

Qualifications:

- PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or a closely related wet-lab discipline
- Strong hands-on experience in molecular biology techniques, including PCR, cell culture, and sequencing
- Experience developing, troubleshooting, and optimizing biological workflows
- Practical expertise in protein expression
- Experience with high-throughput display technologies (ribosome, mRNA, cDNA, or phage display)
- Hands-on experience scaling workflows and improving throughput, reliability, and reproducibility through robotics
- Experience using LLMs and computational tools in scientific work
- Data analysis skills to evaluate experimental results and guide decisions
- Track record of developing, adapting, or implementing new methods to solve challenging research problems

We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description as we seek out diverse and creative perspectives. Team members who love to learn and collaborate in an inclusive environment will thrive with us. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please let us know at careers@plasmidsaurus.com.

## About Plasmidsaurus

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Plasmidsaurus provides overnight, long-read sequencing services for plasmids, RNA, amplicons, whole genomes, AAV, and microbiomes to accelerate life science research.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Startup)
- **Headquarters**: South San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: James Stapleton (Co-founder and CTO), Eric Johnson (Co-founder and CSO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Biotechnology Research, Genomics, Life Sciences
- **Target customers**: B2B — academic research labs, biotech startups, Fortune 100 pharmaceutical companies, and DIY biohackers
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "To accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking new levels of productivity for scientists."

## Products & Services
- **Whole Plasmid Sequencing**: Overnight, long-read sequencing of entire plasmids without the need for primers or minipreps, providing fully annotated maps.
- **RNA-Seq**: Ultrafast, affordable transcriptome analysis from cells, with results in as fast as 3 days.
- **Amplicon Sequencing**: Fast results for amplicons of any size, including overnight microbiome amplicon sequencing.
- **Whole Genome Sequencing**: Fast and complete genome sequences for nearly any organism.
- **AAV Genome Sequencing**: Full-length AAV genome sequences from intact capsids in 3 days, identifying potential issues other methods miss.
- **Microbiome Sequencing**: Species-level identification directly from raw environmental samples or PCR products.
- **Custom Sequencing**: Tailored sequencing solutions for specific research needs.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: Estimated annual revenue of $18.8 million (source: Datanyze)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Addgene (handling majority of their plasmid sequencing), Oxford Nanopore Technologies (expanded collaboration), Illumina, PacBio
- **Growth Signals**: Opened 10th global lab in Singapore (May 2025); launched ultrafast RNA-Seq service (Oct 2025); launched fast, low-input AAV genome sequencing service (May 2025); cited in over 2,500 publications; trusted by Nobel laureates, Fortune 100 pharma, and over 70,000 scientists; 110 employees with operations in 6 countries; website traffic up 63% year-over-year.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed and convenience**: Overnight turnaround for most services, with a global network of 1,000+ dropboxes and labs operating across multiple time zones (San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Eugene, Louisville, Boston, London, Cologne, Singapore).
- **Technology leadership**: Pioneered Whole Plasmid Sequencing; partners with leading sequencing technology providers (Oxford Nanopore, PacBio, Illumina) for early access to latest chemistries and hardware.
- **Accuracy and reliability**: In an independent challenge study, Plasmidsaurus delivered the fastest and most accurate results on low concentration, degraded, and complex plasmids compared to leading vendors.
- **Simplicity**: No primers or minipreps needed; simple online ordering with PO, credit card, or "dinocoins"; results delivered as fully annotated maps straight to inbox.
- **Scale and trust**: Trusted by Nobel laureates, Fortune 100 pharma, and over 70,000 scientists; cited in 2,500+ publications.

## Strategic Focus
- **Expanding service menu**: Moving beyond plasmid sequencing into RNA-Seq, AAV genome sequencing, microbiome, and whole genome sequencing — aiming to "sequence everything."
- **Global scaling**: Opening new labs worldwide (10th lab in Singapore, May 2025) to enable overnight turnaround across time zones.
- **Product innovation**: Continuously launching ultrafast, low-input services (e.g., ultrafast RNA-Seq, low-input AAV sequencing) to reduce barriers for researchers.
- **Partnerships**: Deepening collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies and other leading sequencing technology providers.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Directly contribute to accelerating new cures and promoting a healthier planet by making sequencing faster, cheaper, and more accessible.
- **High-growth environment**: Rapidly scaling company (founded 2022, now 110 employees across 6 countries) with strong revenue growth and expanding service lines.
- **Global, distributed team**: Labs in 10 cities across the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Finland, and India; hybrid/remote-friendly roles available (e.g., Sales Account Manager listed as remote).
- **Cutting-edge tech**: Work with the latest sequencing technologies (Oxford Nanopore, PacBio, Illumina) and bioinformatics tools.
- **Culture**: Described as building "the world’s most efficient sequencing engine" with a focus on speed, simplicity, and scientific impact. Open roles include Senior Product Manager, Bioinformatics Scientist, Head of Logistics, Recruiter, and Customer Success Manager.
- **Headcount**: 110 employees with active hiring (7 open positions as of mid-2025); monthly headcount growth of -2.3% (likely seasonal fluctuation) but quarterly job postings up 75%.

## Sources
1. [plasmidsaurus.com](https://plasmidsaurus.com/)
2. [linkedin.com/company/plasmidsaurus](https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasmidsaurus)
3. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/plasmidsaurus](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/plasmidsaurus)
4. [workinbiotech.com/companies/plasmidsaurus](https://workinbiotech.com/companies/plasmidsaurus)
5. [datanyze.com/companies/plasmidsaurus](https://www.datanyze.com/companies/plasmidsaurus/1316357043)

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