Automation Engineer

About Arc Institute

The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution conducting curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley.

While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include:

• Funding: Arc fully funds Core Investigators’ (PIs’) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants.
• Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize, and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators. 
• Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially, and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction.
• Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration.

Arc has scaled to nearly 300 people to date. With $650M in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly in the coming years.

About the position

We are seeking a highly skilled Automation Engineer to join our Multiomic Technology Center and lead the design, development, implementation, and optimization of complex lab automation workflows.  The role will work closely with cross-functional teams, analyze the needs and requirements of high throughput 2D and 3D stem cell culture, genome engineering, and downstream single cell and NGS analysis workflows, design and develop streamlined solutions to transfer manual processes to automated platforms. The role requires a strong understanding of approaching biological systems with an engineering mindset to design automation that accounts for the complexity of model systems. This role is crucial for enabling high-quality, large-scale data generation for our ambitious Virtual Cell and Alzheimer's Disease Initiatives. These initiatives aim to create the first foundational model capable of accurately predicting cellular states and their responses to intervention, ultimately leading to a better understanding and treatment of complex neurodegenerative diseases.

About you

• You are system-minded, passionate and excited about developing automated laboratory workflows to enable high impact large scale research. 
• You are collaborative, and enjoy working with interdisciplinary teams to gather requirements and deliver engineering solutions
• You are self-motivated and independent, and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.
• You are creative and resourceful, embrace challenges and adapt quickly to evolving system requirements
• You are diligent, detail oriented, with exceptional troubleshooting and systematic problem-solving skills
• You are quality-driven and highly professional, committed to robust documentation, validation protocols, and engineering best practices
• You combine engineering expertise with a deep appreciation of biological systems, understanding how biology’s variability, constraints and nuances shape automation design

In this position you will

• Collaborate with wet lab scientists to analyze current manual workflows, identify bottlenecks, draft system requirements, and develop plans to transfer manual processes to automated systems
• Develop, implement, and optimize robotic and software-based automation solutions, primarily focusing on automating stem cell culture, molecular and cell-based assays.
• Program and troubleshoot current liquid handling and robotic systems; select, onboard, and integrate new instrumentations 
• Program control software and integrate various instruments into cohesive workflows 
• Design and implement data integration methodology to ensure seamless data transfer between hardwares and to LIMS 
• Design, coordinate, and execute validation experiments to ensure precision, accuracy, and reproducibility of results
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to automation systems, and develop systematic methodology for troubleshooting complex issues
• Train scientists and lab staff on newly implemented automated equipment and protocols.
• Coordinate equipment on-boarding, maintenance, and calibration for automated systems
• Present plans, results and technical recommendations to stakeholders internally and externally

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or above in Engineering, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, or a related field
• 8 years for BS (or 6 years for MS or 3 years for PhD) of hands-on experience designing, implementing, and maintaining laboratory automation systems
• Experience programming and optimizing liquid handling methods
• Experience interfacing, integrating and scheduling multiple laboratory instrumentations 
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or C#
• Experience integrating and managing data with LIMS
• Demonstrated experience with cell culture automation
• Familiarity with mammalian cell culture, genomics, molecular and cell-based assays;
• Demonstrated ability to apply engineering solutions in the context of biological workflows (e.g. cell culture, genome engineering, single-cell assays) with an understanding of the underlying biology
• Familiarity with DoE (Design of Experiments) principles and best practices and statistical analysis
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills
• Attention to detail and strong organization skills 
• Strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-throughput production environments or high throughput screening applications 
• Experience with human stem cell culture, organoids, molecular engineering, or single cell analysis methods

The base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $181,000. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.