Role OverviewR&D is the engine behind Plasmidsaurus's long-term growth. As a New Product Scientist, you will help define what RNA sequencing looks like next. Your work will create entirely new capabilities for customers, opening new applications, expanding our product portfolio, and shaping how scientists use sequencing to solve problems.
This is a highly autonomous product development role for a scientist who wants to build, not maintain. You will identify promising opportunities, design and test new approaches, and turn successful concepts into scalable products. The path from idea to customer impact is short, and the best ideas can quickly become products used by scientists around the world.
We're looking for someone who is excited by unanswered questions, moves quickly from hypothesis to experiment, and wants to contribute directly to the technologies that drive Plasmidsaurus' next phase of growth.
What You'll DoDevelop New RNA Sequencing Products- Identify and evaluate new RNA sequencing opportunities through literature review, market analysis, and original scientific insight.
- Design and execute experiments to assess technical feasibility and sequencing performance.
- Develop and validate new library preparation methods that expand the Plasmidsaurus RNA sequencing portfolio.
Scale and Productize- Determine which methods can be translated into scalable, automated production processes.
- Advance successful concepts from proof-of-concept through scaled production-ready workflows.
- Contribute expertise that helps shape Plasmidsaurus' product launch process.
Collaborate Across the Business- Partner with Product, Bioinformatics, Production, Automation, Commercial, Platform, Custom, Marketing, UI/UX, and Website teams to bring new products to market.
- Guide the work of research associates and laboratory technicians when needed.
- Share product development insights that improve decision-making across the R&D organization.
Expected OutcomesFirst 3 Months- Identify and prioritize promising new RNA sequencing opportunities within the first two weeks.
- Demonstrate successful sequencing using a new approach within the first four weeks.
- Establish a clear path toward a scalable product within seven weeks.
- Begin scaling a validated workflow within ten weeks.
- Build strong working relationships with key cross-functional partners.
First 6 Months- Advance multiple RNA sequencing concepts through development and validation.
- Contribute to at least one product launch or product-ready workflow.
- Demonstrate a repeatable process for evaluating and prioritizing new technical opportunities.
- Influence product development decisions through technical expertise and scientific judgment.
First Year- Launch new RNA sequencing products that expand the portfolio.
- Generate measurable customer adoption and revenue from newly launched products.
- Increase customer stickiness through differentiated RNA sequencing capabilities.
- Raise the effectiveness of the broader R&D team through stronger product and process development practices.
What You'll Bring- Ideally a PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field. If not a PhD, you should have an undergraduate or advanced degree combined with meaningful industry experience with relevant roles and technology.
- 5-10 years of industry experience, depending on relevance of roles and education
- Strong molecular biology and assay development expertise.
- Demonstrated ability to innovate and develop new molecular biology workflows.
- Experience launching products, processes, or scientific technologies.
- Excellent bench-level laboratory skills.
- Experience programming for data analysis or laboratory instrumentation is a strong plus
- Experience guiding the work of others, including research associates or laboratory technicians.
- Experience in sequencing, reagent development, scientific services, or related biotechnology environments.
- Experience at organizations such as sequencing service providers, reagent companies, or similar R&D-focused biotechnology organizations is strongly preferred.
Ways of WorkingBuild- Think from first principles to uncover the underlying problem and develop complete solutions.
- Pursue novel approaches and challenge conventional assumptions when building new products.
Own- Take responsibility for outcomes and drive work independently.
- Maintain clear priorities and focus effort on the highest-impact opportunities.
Move- Test ideas quickly, make decisions with available information, and learn through execution.
- Balance scientific rigor with urgency to advance promising opportunities.
Participate- Collaborate openly across functions.
- Share ideas early, contribute to healthy debate, and incorporate feedback to strengthen outcomes.
Inspire- Raise the standard of scientific thinking and product development within R&D.
- Contribute to a high-performance environment by bringing expertise, curiosity, and strong execution.
This role is onsite in our South San Francisco, CA headquarters and will require ~10% travel
We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description as we seek out diverse and creative perspectives. Team members who love to learn and collaborate in an inclusive environment will thrive with us.
