NO sub-contracting! No sponsorship ! Be local to Northern California Bay area as this requires on site full time M-F 8 hours a day.

JD:

Position Overview

The Complex In Vitro Systems (CiS) Lab within Translational Safety is seeking a highly motivated Scientist to support the development, characterization, and qualification of advanced human in vitro models that help drive the development of safe and effective medicines.

This team partners closely with colleagues across Development Sciences, Translational Medicine, and Research to establish innovative platforms that support target evaluation, lead optimization, and safety assessment across diverse therapeutic programs, novel modalities, and emerging disease areas.

In this highly collaborative, lab-based role, you will provide scientific expertise in the development and implementation of advanced human lung complex in vitro models, including organoids, air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures, and lung microphysiological systems. You will play a key role in designing experiments, generating high-quality data, analyzing complex datasets, and helping advance next-generation disease modeling platforms for drug development.

Key Responsibilities

Complex In Vitro Model Development

• Develop, optimize, qualify, and implement advanced human lung in vitro model systems, including:
  • Airway organoids
  • Alveolar organoids
  • Air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures
  • Lung-on-chip and microphysiological co-culture platforms
• Support disease modeling initiatives and lung safety risk assessment efforts across therapeutic programs

Experimental Design & Characterization

• Design and execute experiments to characterize complex lung models using:
  • Cell viability assays
  • Morphology assessments
  • Barrier integrity and permeability testing
  • Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) assays
  • Functional phenotyping assays
• Perform advanced characterization techniques including:
  • Confocal imaging
  • High-content imaging
  • Immunofluorescence
  • Transcriptomics
  • Proteomics
  • RNA-based assays

Data Analysis & Scientific Communication

• Analyze and interpret complex experimental datasets
• Present findings to internal stakeholders and cross-functional teams
• Support scientific presentations, publications, and technical reports
• Communicate results clearly to both technical and non-technical collaborators

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with teams across Translational Medicine, Development Sciences, and Research
• Align complex model development efforts with broader therapeutic strategies and program needs

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate electronic documentation in accordance with departmental SOPs
• Contribute to study reports, safety assessments, and final project deliverables
• Ensure high-quality scientific documentation and reproducibility standards

Required Qualifications

Education

PhD in one of the following fields:

• Bioengineering
• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Toxicology
• Or a related scientific discipline

0 5 years of post-PhD experience in industry or academia conducting hypothesis-driven research

Technical Expertise

• Hands-on experience culturing multiple lung cell types, including primary cells and relevant cell lines
• Strong experience developing and applying:
  • Airway organoids
  • Alveolar organoids
  • Co-culture systems
  • Microphysiological systems
  • Microfluidic platforms
• Experience supporting translational research or drug discovery applications

Laboratory & Analytical Skills

Experience with:

• qRT-PCR
• RNA-seq
• Proteomics
• Immunofluorescence
• Confocal microscopy
• Live-cell imaging
• Time-lapse imaging
• High-content screening

Strong experimental troubleshooting, assay optimization, and protocol development experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in lung biology and/or immunology
• Experience using Python and/or MATLAB for image analysis, computational workflows, or large-scale data analysis

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a collaborative scientist who thrives in a fast-paced research environment and enjoys building innovative biological models that directly impact drug development. This individual brings strong scientific rigor, problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a passion for advancing translational safety through next-generation in vitro systems.