Research Associate II/III, Molecular Biology (Contract)

Prolific Machines

Emeryville, California, United States

Posted on: 2025-11-26

Category: agritech

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Employment type:

Full time

Experience required:

Intermediate

Salary

Salary not provided

About the company:

Prolific Machines is an innovative startup biotech on a mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture. We believe that we have the only solution to make cultured meat at a price that is competitive with factory farming. We are looking for mission-driven, skilled, and kind people to help create the alternative we need to transition to a more sustainable and healthy future.

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology with light. Our mission is to make next-generation therapies broadly available to patients. Our first-of-its-kind Photomolecular Platform uses light to precisely guide how cells produce complex biologics, enabling higher titers, improved quality, and faster development timelines. By helping partners overcome today’s manufacturing bottlenecks, we’re accelerating the delivery of life-changing medicines. Prolific is supported by leading investors, including Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield, and SOSV.

Help us create a brighter tomorrow with biology. We're looking for mission-driven, talented, and kind people to join our team.

We are looking for a highly motivated and detail-oriented RA II or Sr. RA to drive molecular biology-based workflows at Prolific. We are a team of scientists using light to control expression of biotherapeutic proteins, increasing titer and improving quality attributes. You will be instrumental in spearheading the top-of-funnel vector development processes which form the foundation for our cell line development pipeline. Your responsibilities will focus around the design and assembly of DNA vectors for downstream cell line engineering applications. Your knowledge of molecular biology techniques, combined with your attention to detail and motivation to learn, will make you highly effective in this role. The ideal candidate for this role is energized by hands-on technical work and takes pride in owning and refining routine molecular biology processes for high quality results. You’ll get to work cross collaboratively with team members in optogenetics, synthetic biology, cell line development, hardware engineering, bioprocessing, and data science disciplines to establish cell lines crucial to Prolific’s success. This is a unique position and opportunity to drive foundational workflows in an exciting startup setting. You’ll be provided with room for technical growth and receive mentorship to help you succeed. This role is based on-site in our headquarters in Emeryville, CA. The contract is expected to last for 6+ months with the possibility of extension or conversion to full-time employee at the end of the term.

Diversity: We value diverse people, perspectives, and knowledge. To this end, we aim to foster a sense of belonging that enables everyone to bring their whole, authentic self to work everyday. We are committed to growing a diverse and inclusive team that encompasses all types of people. We believe this can only be achieved by acknowledging the ancestral, historic, and current systemic and communal inequities.

Location: The San Francisco Bay Area (Emeryville, CA)

Responsibilities

Owning and driving vector development and molecular biology workflows

Identifying and testing genetic elements to improve cell line performance

Optimizing molecular biology procedures to improve quality and efficiency

Assisting with downstream mammalian cell culture (primarily HEK and CHO) as needed

Conducting experiments independently, collecting and analyzing data in a timely manner, maintaining detailed documentation in electronic lab notebooks, and data visualization and presentation in team meetings

About You

Hold a Bachelor's degree with 3+ years of relevant industry experience or a Master's degree with 1+ years of relevant experience. Various levels will be considered depending on the candidate's specific experience, knowledge, and skill set.

Proficient in molecular cloning and relevant techniques, including Gibson and Golden Gate assembly, PCR, bacterial transformation, and nucleic acid purification.

Familiar with biotech R&D software tools such as Geneious or Benchling

Nice to have: Familiar with mammalian cell culture and protein expression, in particular relating to CHO cell line development

Comfortable with developing and proposing experimental plans, conducting experiments, and troubleshooting analytical techniques and methodologies

Proficient in precisely following protocols, designing and executing experiments independently, and managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced setting

Self-starter who’s committed to team science and effective independent work

Strong organizational skills with an interest in creating and maintaining organizational infrastructure for both lab experiments and with data analysis

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Excitement for working in a fast-paced startup environment and comfort with evolving project scopes and shifting priorities

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