--- title: 'Scientist (Cell & Tissue Operations) at Parallel Bio' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/scientist-cell-tissue-operations-parallel-bio-san-francisco-e52rmk07ensq' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-11' --- # Scientist (Cell & Tissue Operations) at Parallel Bio - **Company:** Parallel Bio - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-06 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-11 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/parallel-bio/9400e27f-1351-4e82-b183-3af6f756fb1e ## Job description The Mission Drug discovery has a translation problem: more than 95% of drugs that succeed in animal models fail in humans. We're building the alternative: human-first drug discovery, powered by organoids and AI, running on real human biology from the very first experiment. Our platform is 87% concordant with clinical patient data - a vast improvement over the 3% translational success rate of animals. We’ve demonstrated the ability to model immunotoxicology, immunogen stimulation, and two autoimmune diseases with more on the way. Numerous pharma partners including 3 Fortune 500 companies are already using the platform. We've raised ~$30M from AIX Ventures, Marc Benioff, Jeff Dean, and Y Combinator. With the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 and the FDA's March 2026 validation framework, the regulatory tailwinds only continue to get stronger. The opportunity ahead of the company is generational: build the first scaled engine for generating real human biological data, and use it to fundamentally change how medicines are discovered. ## The role Note to candidates: this describes a strong profile, not a checklist. If you don't match every point but believe you'd do this job well, please apply. We are hiring a Scientist I to run the hands-on cell and tissue culture work that every Parallel Bio program depends on. You will process human tissue, build and maintain cell banks, run immunological assays, and turn what works at the bench into robust, documented processes. This role is shared between Technical Operations and Science. You will split time between executing partner studies and strengthening the systems behind them: SOPs, cell inventory, and process consistency. It suits a scientist who likes the bench and has a high standard for technical accuracy, precision, and data quality. ## Why join Parallel Bio - Human-relevant immunology: your work generates human immune data that shapes real drug development decisions - Early-team impact: the processes you build become how the company runs as it scales - Partner-facing science: work directly on studies for biopharma partners - Room to grow: scope expands as you take on ownership, toward Scientist II and process leadership ## What you'll do Tissue processing and cell culture - Process human lymphoid tissue and primary cells into single-cell suspensions and organoid cultures - Apply donor acceptance criteria and track donor metadata to manage donor-to-donor variability - Optimize and troubleshoot scientific protocols as needed in a data-driven manner - Execute partner study protocols on schedule under aseptic technique Cell banking and cryopreservation - Cryopreserve, thaw, and recover primary human cells with consistent viability and yield - Execute cell banking runs with full chain of custody from donor to vial - Maintain the LN2 inventory: storage, sample tracking, and reconciliation Assays and immune readouts - Independently execute flow cytometry for immunophenotyping and study endpoint measurements - Independently execute un functional assays (e.g., ELISA, MSD, ELISpot, cytotoxicity), plus imaging or qPCR as programs require - Analyze data (FlowJo, Prism, or equivalent) and contribute to study summaries for partners. Clearly communicate data and findings to stakeholders. Process, documentation, and lab operations - Draft and revise SOPs, and help train new team members on them - Support the move from research-grade documentation toward GLP-like rigor - Maintain core equipment and reagent inventory, and support EH&S programs ## What you'll bring - PhD in immunology, cell biology, bioengineering, or a related field with 0–2 years of postdoctoral or industry experience; an MS with 5+ years of relevant industry experience; or a BS with 8+ years of relevant industry experience - Hands-on proficiency in primary human cell or tissue culture under strict aseptic technique - Hands-on proficiency in cryopreservation: freezing, thawing, and tracking cell stocks - Hands-on proficiency in flow cytometry, plus at least one other immune assay method (e.g., ELISA, MSD, ELISpot, Luminex) - Strong documentation habits grounded in data integrity (ALCOA+) principles: detailed electronic notebook entries, clear protocols, and records someone else can follow - Collaboration across two teams and shifting between study execution and process work - High standards for data quality and data integrity, and ability to apply scientific rigor to day-to-day operations - Strong written and verbal skills, critical thinking and rational experimental design capabilities, and clear data presentation skills. ## Nice to have - Secondary lymphoid organ biology, organoid, or 3D culture experience - Formal cell banking (MCB/WCB) with release testing such as sterility, mycoplasma, and identity - Spectral or high-parameter flow cytometry (15+ colors) - iPSC culture or stem cell-derived immune models - Plate-based, higher-throughput workflows or liquid handling automation - SOP authoring in a GLP- or GMP-aware environment What success looks like - By 6 months: Independently running tissue processing, banking, and core assays for partner studies - By 12 months: Trusted to run the cell bank and inventory day to day, with several SOPs you drafted in active use Lab safety and physical requirements Candidates must be able to meet the following, with or without reasonable accommodation: - Ability to wear a tight-fitting respirator (e.g., N95 or half-face air-purifying respirator) when tasks require it. This includes medical clearance and an annual fit test. - Work with human-derived tissue and cells at BSL-2, including bloodborne pathogen training; Hepatitis B vaccination is offered - Ability to stand at the bench or biosafety cabinet for extended periods, and lift up to 25 lb (e.g., media cases and supplies) Location and details - Location: Brisbane, CA; fully onsite, with occasional weekend work for tissue arrivals and culture maintenance - Compensation: $125k–140k USD base salary, plus equity - Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k); paid time off Parallel Bio is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. ## About Parallel Bio ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Parallel Bio is a biotechnology company using a proprietary human immune organoid platform and AI to reimagine drug discovery, aiming to replace animal testing and predict human clinical outcomes from the start. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series A) - **Headquarters**: Watertown, Massachusetts, United States - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Robert DiFazio (Co-Founder & Co-CEO), Juliana Hilliard (Co-Founder & Co-CEO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Biotechnology, Drug Discovery - **Target customers**: B2B; Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking preclinical drug validation and discovery services. - **Mission or purpose**: To reimagine the entire drug discovery process from the ground up, creating a system that charts the map of human biology to go from disease target discovery to IND in a fraction of the time and cost, making drug development 10x faster and 1000x cheaper while eliminating animal testing. ## Products & Services - **Human Immune Organoid Platform**: The world’s first scalable human immune organoid designed to capture the human biology that animal models miss. It is a closed-loop, end-to-end automation system that generates compounding proprietary data on how therapies perform across diverse patient populations. - **Biological Atlas / Map of Human Biology**: A population-scale, perturbable, and fully human biological atlas built on data from a biobank of over 170 donors spanning different ages, sexes, ethnicities, and disease states. This platform enables disease target discovery, precision medicine, and patient stratification. - **Drug Discovery Services**: Partnering with pharmaceutical companies (including three Fortune 500 companies) to test compounds and predict clinical trial outcomes earlier and more reliably than existing preclinical models. Over 170 compounds have been tested to date. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available. - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$25.75M** across 4 rounds. - **Recent Funding**: **$21.0M Series A** (July 2025) led by AIX Ventures with 8 investors. - **Revenue**: Estimated annual revenue of **$3.2M** (LinkedIn estimate). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: AIX Ventures (Lead, Series A), Refactor (Lead, Seed Round). Advisors include Darrell Irvine (Professor, Scripps Research), Shane Crotty (Professor & CSO, La Jolla Institute), and Nima Aghaeepour (Professor, Stanford). - **Growth Signals**: 17.4% headcount growth YoY; presence in Austria alongside US HQ; LinkedIn follower growth of 129.2% yearly; active hiring across science, technology, and operations departments. ## Competitive Advantages - **Human-first biology**: A platform built entirely on human data, not animal models, which captures population diversity that clinical trials often fail to achieve. - **Proprietary data flywheel**: The closed-loop automation system generates a massive, proprietary dataset of human biological data, creating a compounding advantage for AI model training and discovery. - **Speed and cost**: Claims 10x faster and 1000x cheaper drug discovery compared to traditional methods, with a focus on reducing the 97.3% failure rate of clinical trials. - **Zero animal testing**: A strong ethical and scientific differentiator, appealing to modern regulatory and societal standards. ## Strategic Focus - **Platform scaling**: Expanding the biobank and automation capabilities to generate more data and improve the biological atlas. - **Commercial partnerships**: Deepening collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies (including three Fortune 500) to validate and scale the platform. - **Precision medicine**: Using the map of human biology to unlock personalized insights and patient stratification. - **AI and data**: Building foundation models on the growing dataset to further accelerate drug discovery and prediction. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven work**: Directly tackling the $2.6 billion, 12.5-year problem of drug discovery and aiming to eliminate animal testing, offering a chance to have a massive impact on human health. - **Interdisciplinary team**: Brings together experts in immunotherapy, data science, bioengineering, and drug discovery, fostering a collaborative environment. - **Culture**: Described as "a diverse, interdisciplinary team of dreamers and doers" looking for "fellow visionaries hungry for real impact." - **Work policy**: Most roles are **on-site in San Francisco, CA** (6 of 7 open positions), with one remote role available. The HQ is in Watertown, MA. - **Growth trajectory**: With recent Series A funding, rapid follower growth, and active hiring across multiple departments (Science, Technology, Operations), the company is in an aggressive growth phase. - **Open roles (7 total)**: Head of Platform, Head of Biology, Head of Sales, Data Application Engineer, Research Associate (Biobanking), Scientist (HIV Virology), and a general talent network application. ## Sources 1. [parallel.bio](https://www.parallel.bio/) 2. [parallel.bio/about](https://www.parallel.bio/about) 3. [parallel.bio/careers](https://www.parallel.bio/careers) 4. [LinkedIn - Parallel Bio](https://www.linkedin.com/company/parallelbio) 5. 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