Senior Scientist, Assay Development
San Carlos, CA
Reagent & Platform Development /
Full Time
/ On-site
At Nautilus, we have a big and important mission: improve the health of millions by unleashing the potential of the proteome to accelerate drug development and enable a new world of precision and personalized medicine. We are developing a single-molecule protein analysis platform of unprecedented sensitivity, scale, and ease of use that we believe will democratize access to the proteome – one of the most dynamic and valuable sources of biological insight. To accomplish this, we are pursuing deep, hard science with an entrepreneurial mindset and creating a world-class team of builders, innovators, and dreamers across a wide range of disciplines.
The Assay Development group plays a central role at Nautilus, engaging at the interface of science, engineering and operations, to deliver game-changing proteomics technologies. You will devise and implement methods to ensure robust assay performance and deliver upon product specifications. Your specific focus will be on using an assay development mindset to optimize the performance of the assay for factors such as breadth of coverage, reproducibility, LOD, LOQ, etc.
The successful candidate will be a flexible and collaborative self-starter with extensive experience in designing, executing, analyzing, and interpreting complex, multi-factorial experiments. Reporting results to multidisciplinary teams is required for this role. Strong troubleshooting skills, critical thinking, and attention to detail are essential. The ideal candidate will be adaptable and thrive in a startup environment.
Responsibilities
- Work cross-functionally to construct, execute/evaluate controlled experiments (including DOE) to evaluate and optimize processes and drive implementation of solutions to improve performance and meet project goals.
- Define, develop and implement control reagents, samples and preparations thereof to evaluate assay performance of integrated system (sample->results)
- Work with cross-functional teams to identify failure modes and ways to improve assay performance.
- Drive root cause and permanent corrective actions to resolve quality issues as they arise.
- Assess assay characteristics including coverage, reproducibility, LOD, LOQ.
- Examine bias in assay and work with stakeholders to reduce bias.
- Look through primary data to identify opportunities for improvement
- Perform detailed analysis of protein identifications and quantifications to provide customer facing materials explaining the Nautilus Assay, data and its performance.
- Drive root cause and permanent corrective actions to resolve quality issues as they arise.
- Establish a culture of teamwork, accountability, quality, timeliness of execution and internal/external customer focus.
Qualifications and Experience
- A minimum of a PhD in Bioengineering, Chemical engineering, Biophysics, Chemistry, Material Science, or related field with 2-4+ years industry experience; or BS/MS with 8-10+ years’ experience in related biotechnology or material science field.
- Demonstrated history of cross-functional assay development.
- Experience in developing complex workflows using proteins, nucleic acids, nanoparticles, small molecules, etc. Bioconjugation experience is highly desirable.
- Ability to plan and conduct scientific experiments and effectively analyze, interpret, and present experimental results.
- Detail-oriented with strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities.
Nautilus Team Culture
- We are curious go-getters: this is a team of life-long learners who aren’t afraid to tackle the big challenges and we embrace the journey.
- We are detail oriented: we do great science by working smart & with diligence where we learn from our trials and mistakes.
- We are easy to work with: we want our workplace to be one where everyone can share their perspective and be treated with respect and kindness.
$128,000 - $157,000 a year
The listed hiring pay range for this position is based on skills, education and experience relevant to the role; title may be assessed one level lower or higher, accordingly. Other components of total compensation include a competitive options grant at the time of hire (with potential for additional grants).
Benefits include medical, vision, and dental insurance, group and supplemental life insurance, 401k retirement plan, responsible (unlimited) paid time off, parental leave, and more.
