---
title: 'Senior/Staff Research Associate at Pendulum™'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-research-associate-pendulum-san-francisco-003hag495qf4'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-20'
---

# Senior/Staff Research Associate at Pendulum™

- **Company:** Pendulum™
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-20
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/pendulum/9da852a5-03c1-4ad2-8d08-8643c1ef2ef1

## Job description

## About Pendulum

Pendulum® is leading a revolution that is occurring around the world to improve physical and mental health by first understanding, then restoring and enhancing the human microbiome. Studies have shown that our microbiome (the bacterial communities in and on our bodies) is linked to everything from metabolism and diabetes, to longevity, weight loss, healthy immune systems, cancer prevention, feelings of well-being, inflammatory bowel disease, and even healthy skin.  We have just scratched the surface on understanding the impact that our microbiome has on our lives. During early life we develop a diverse and balanced microbiome that plays a critical role in shaping our long-term health. Over our lives, a combination of diet, lifestyle, antibiotics, and aging can decrease the effectiveness of our microbiome. Pendulum recognized the enormous impact they could have on people’s lives if they were able to address the imbalances in the microbiome. To accomplish this, Pendulum created proprietary probiotic pipelines and a  unique discovery platform to identify key, novel bacterial strains and the prebiotics that feed them. The company has also built and developed the world’s first manufacturing technology to produce bacteria in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment at scale. The medical probiotics that Pendulum has formulated have transformed the consumer probiotics market into a new category of therapeutic offerings that deliver the power and efficacy of a pharmaceutical with the safety and accessibility of a natural probiotic. Due to Pendulum’s explosive revenue and customer growth over the last two years, the company  earned a spot on Forbes Magazine’s exclusive “The Next Billion Dollar Startups” list. If you’re interested in improving the lives of people globally and you love working in a cross-functional, collaborative, inspiring environment, please continue reading. Position Summary: Pendulum is currently seeking a Senior Research Associate (or Staff Research Associate, depending on experience) to join our Product Development team. This role will carry significant responsibility across fermentation operations and flow cytometry workflows, supporting anaerobic probiotic strain production and strain quality control, along with other exploratory lab work. Strong aseptic and anaerobic techniques are core requirements. This role's work will directly support improvements to current products as well as the development of new products. We’re looking for someone who’s energized by the pace and possibility of a fast-growing, mission-driven company. You thrive in a collaborative, nimble environment where ideas are shaped through iteration, feedback, and shared vision. You’re not just a big thinker—you’re also a creative problem-solver who knows how to make things happen with limited resources. If you're excited by the opportunity to help shape a young brand from the ground up, and passionate about building something with purpose, you'll feel right at home here.

What You'll Do:

- Independently operate DASGIP bioreactor systems for anaerobic probiotic strain fermentation, including sterile setup, inoculation, and process monitoring

- Lead and manage design of experiments for anaerobic fermentation

- Run and analyze flow cytometry assays supporting strain quality control and process development, managing this work across multiple concurrent projects

- Become a subject matter expert in flow cytometry

- Execute rigorous aseptic and anaerobic technique across fermentation and general microbiology work

- Manage and organize assay workflows, draft protocols, and support day-to-day lab operations

- Work with cross-disciplinary teams on experimental design, execution, and data analysis

- Keep up-to-date on current scientific literature related to microbiology

Knowledge Requirements:

- B.S. with 4+ years experience post graduation or MS graduate

- Expert in aseptic techniques used in microbiology and anaerobic growth of bacteria; expert in independently operating bioreactor systems (e.g., DASGIP) for fermentation

- Expert in in flow cytometry techniques used for live/dead bacterial cell classification

- Proficiency in basic anaerobic microbiology and sterile technique

- Demonstrated ability to work independently and be a fully contributing member of a multi-functional fast-paced team environment

- Experience developing/writing SOPs, documenting and tracking lot numbers, and using lab management systems

- Comfort (and preferably experience) in handling human and animal samples, including stool, skin and blood

- Detail oriented and organized, with good oral and written presentation skills

- Familiar with Microsoft office, Google apps, basic data analysis, and basic AI tools

- Experience with shelf-life and stability testing of live biotherapeutic or probiotic products (a plus)

- Familiarity with real-time and accelerated stability study design and execution (a plus)

Salary & Benefits

- $110,500 - $123,500
- Medical, Dental, and Vision
- Commuter Benefits
- Life & STD Insurance
- Company match on 401 (k)
- Flexible Time Off (FTO)
- Equity

## About Pendulum™

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Pendulum™ (Pendulum Therapeutics) is a biotechnology company developing clinically validated, science-backed probiotics and Live Synbiotics™ that target the gut microbiome to improve metabolic and overall health.
- **Entity Type**: Private (late-stage venture-backed; last disclosed round: Venture Round 2023, plus Series B 2019)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States (933 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94107)
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Colleen Cutcliffe (CEO & Co-Founder), John Eid (CSO & Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Biotechnology / Microbiome science / Consumer health supplements
- **Target Customers**: B2C (direct-to-consumer probiotics), B2B/Healthcare (wholesale, strategic channels, healthcare providers), Enterprise (health systems and clinical partners)
- **Mission Statement**: "To improve the lives of millions through microbiome products" — bridging nature and medicine by creating products with "the power and efficacy of a pharmaceutical with the safety and accessibility of a probiotic" [pendulumlife.com](https://pendulumlife.com/pages/story)

## Products & Services
- **Pendulum Akkermansia**: The company's flagship product — the first novel probiotic species brought to market in more than 50 years, and the first and only probiotic in the world clinically proven to lower A1C and blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes; it stimulates natural GLP-1 production. (Product type: clinically validated probiotic supplement)
- **Live Synbiotics™ Line**: A portfolio of rationally designed probiotics + prebiotics targeting conditions such as metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. (Product type: synbiotic supplements)
- **Proprietary Discovery Platform**: An internal R&D engine that identifies key novel bacterial strains and the prebiotics that feed them, enabling a pipeline of new products. (Service type: biotech research platform)
- **Glucose Control / Metabolic Products**: Products designed for metabolic daily support, optimized glucose control, and healthy weight promotion. (Product type: probiotic supplements)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (privately held) — *conflicting/limited data: total funding reported as $45M across multiple rounds*
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue ~$3M (estimated via public data aggregators); Total Funding $45M
  - Venture Round (June 2023): $10M, 1 investor
  - Series B (May 2019): $35M, 5 investors
  - Seed Round (May 2024): 1 investor
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Investors from prior rounds include institutional backers (specific fund names not disclosed in public sources); partners include healthcare sales and wholesale distribution channels. Leadership includes Dr. Adam Perlman (Chief Medical Officer), formerly Director of Integrative Health and Wellbeing at the Mayo Clinic.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount: 94 employees (−20.8% YoY, −30 people) with active job postings up +100% YoY — a sign of selective rebuilding after contraction
  - Expanding commercial focus: hiring a Director of Healthcare Sales (Wholesale & Strategic Channels) and Director of Clinical Studies
  - Strong talent pipeline from Stanford University, BioMarin, PacBio, Zymergen, Second Genome, and Berkeley Lab
  - Workforce distributed across 5 countries (US, Canada, Philippines, India, Netherlands)

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-Mover Market Position**: Pendulum was the first to bring a novel bacterial species to the probiotics market in over 50 years, giving it category-creator status in "Live Synbiotics."
- **Clinical-Grade Evidence**: The only probiotic clinically proven to lower A1C and blood glucose in type 2 diabetes — a regulatory-grade moat that pure supplement companies lack.
- **Strong IP and Scientific Talent**: Co-founders have deep backgrounds (Pacific Biosciences, Johns Hopkins, Harvard/Rowland Institute, Cornell/UIUC) in genomics, biophysics, and molecular biology; the team includes ex-Mayo Clinic and Duke physicians.
- **Proprietary Discovery Pipeline**: Integrated platform spanning strain discovery, prebiotic matching, clinical validation, and commercialization — hard to replicate quickly.
- **Cross-Disciplinary Expertise**: Combines biostatistics, microbiology, biotechnology, medical research, high-throughput genomics, distributed computing, and nutrition.

## Strategic Focus
- **Category Creation**: Building a new category of microbiome-targeting health products with pharmaceutical-level efficacy claims and supplement-level accessibility.
- **Expanding Clinical Pipeline**: Deepening research into metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and neurodegeneration through new clinical studies (active hiring for Director of Clinical Studies).
- **Healthcare Channel Expansion**: Growing wholesale and strategic healthcare sales to move beyond direct-to-consumer into provider and health-system channels.
- **R&D Continuity**: Maintaining proprietary pipelines for novel strain discovery across Compute R&D (software engineering/data analytics) and Lab R&D (biochemistry/microbiology) departments.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven Work**: Employees work at the intersection of nature and medicine, with a stated mission to improve the lives of millions through microbiome products [pendulumlife.com](https://pendulumlife.com/pages/story)
- **Cross-Functional Culture**: Described as "a highly collaborative team of scientists, engineers, physicians, marketers and salespeople" that values transparency, strong communication, autonomy, and collaboration in a fast-paced environment [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/pendulum/fbaed257-dc01-447a-ac23-24bafbc3763f)
- **Work Model**: Hybrid and on-site roles based in San Francisco, CA (Mission District/Potrero Hill area offices)
- **Benefits**: FSA/HSA eligible products; standard health-and-wellness benefits expected in biotech (details shared during interview)
- **Departments Hiring**: Compute R&D (software engineering and data analytics), Lab R&D (biochemistry and microbiology), Manufacturing, People and Culture, Marketing, Medical Affairs, Operations, and IT
- **Diversity Commitment**: "Pendulum Therapeutics, Inc. is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer" across race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, and veteran status [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/pendulum/fbaed257-dc01-447a-ac23-24bafbc3763f)
- **Candid Assessment**: Employer rating is 2.9/5.0 from 45 reviews (Work-Life: 2.8, Compensation: 3.2, Culture: 2.8, Career: 2.8) — a moderate score; the company has experienced recent headcount decline (−20.8% YoY) and should be evaluated carefully on culture and stability during interviews [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/pendulumco)

## Sources
1. [lever.co — Pendulum Careers](https://jobs.lever.co/pendulum)
2. [linkedin.com — Pendulum Therapeutics](https://linkedin.com/company/pendulumco)
3. [pendulumlife.com — Careers](https://pendulumlife.com/pages/careers)
4. [pendulumlife.com — Our Story](https://pendulumlife.com/pages/story)
5. [jobs.lever.co — Pendulum Dream Job Application](https://jobs.lever.co/pendulum/fbaed257-dc01-447a-ac23-24bafbc3763f)

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