Experimental Validation Scientist, Cell Biology

A Bit About Us We are Arcadia Science, an evolutionary biology company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to turn natural innovations into real-world solutions by developing systematic and quantitative approaches to leveraging biology for therapeutics R&D. We share our research as openly as possible to accelerate discovery and make our work broadly useful. The Opportunity We’re closing the gap between biological data and biological understanding. Our Validation team does this by closing the design–build–test–learn loop through lab validation across diverse organisms.  Read more about our work through our publications. We are seeking an Experimental Validation Biologist with a special expertise in cell biology to join our Validation team. In this role, this scientist will generate phenotypic and genotypic data to compare cellular features across organisms. Because we use evolution to select the best organism to study each biological question, scientists in this role should expect to work with diverse, often non-traditional organisms and cell types. These contributions will be instrumental in validating existing tools at Arcadia, testing novel hypotheses, identifying potential therapeutic assets, and driving the creation of novel cellular approaches for testing biological function. Top candidates are hands-on, efficient scientists with deep experience in cell biology and a strong interest in using biological diversity as a tool to unlock novel therapeutics. They are energized by evaluating novel biology, skilled at troubleshooting, and thrive in collaborative and open research environments. Enthusiasm and participation in open science is also required as we routinely share our findings via our open-source pubs.   Key Responsibilities:

Develop, adapt, and optimize experimental workflows for gathering high-dimensional phenotypic data across diverse cellular and organismal systems

Validate platform tools and test predictions using cell-based or organism-based assays

Identify maximally informative measures for comparing cellular features across organisms

Conceptualize and prototype novel tools and methodologies to expand Arcadia’s capabilities in cell biology

Troubleshoot experimental challenges independently and creatively

Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to contribute to shared research goals and accelerate broader scientific efforts

Keep detailed experimental records and documentation (SOPs) for all workflows

Synthesize ideas, data, and findings into fully open-access pubs and engage with the scientific community to maximize impact and garner feedback that improves the work

Qualifications

Ph.D. or equivalent experience in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field

At least 3 years of full-time relevant scientific experience post-PhD or relevant experience

Demonstrated expertise in cell- or organism-based assay development, including independent design, execution, and optimization

Proficiency with core cell biology tools, with a particular focus on those that can gather large-scale, high-dimensional data (e.g., live cell imaging, spectroscopy, etc.)

Experience with core molecular biology tools and techniques

Experience independently coordinating and driving multi-stage experimental projects

Comfort working with diverse cellular organisms and systems

Familiarity with data analysis using python or R

Excellent verbal and written science communication skills for both general and technical audiences as we expect all scientists to actively draft and openly publish their results