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Medra is building a Physical AI Scientist platform that combines AI, robotics, and biology to accelerate life science research. The company has developed physical AI capable of operating scientific instruments with human-level dexterity and scientific AI that can analyze results, reason about next steps, and close the loop autonomously.
As a Scientist on the forward-deployed team, you will embed with customers at their labs, acting as a true partner to ensure the Medra platform achieves scientific outcomes and drives measurable value. You will become an expert in each customer's scientific workflows, deeply understanding their requirements and applying the scientific method to test and validate the fidelity of the Physical AI Scientist platform.
Key responsibilities include:
- Serve as the scientific subject matter expert, understanding customer requirements and providing biological context to guide scoping, product development, and capability prioritization
- Design and execute wet-lab experiments to validate Medra's autonomous Physical AI against scientific KPIs and metrics
- Deploy on-site to customer labs, embedding with their scientists to validate the science, conduct hands-on training on the robot and instruments, and provide ongoing support during ramp-up
- Own installation, QC, and troubleshooting/error-handling for all laboratory instruments on the Physical AI platform
- Support internal R&D on new protocols and assays, and explore emerging technologies and techniques
- Keep detailed experimental records and documentation (SOPs) for all workflows
- Communicate results clearly, succinctly, and on-time
- Partner closely with engagement managers and forward-deployed engineers to drive successful deployments
- Work alongside robotics, software, and hardware engineers to provide scientific oversight during scoping, build, and deployment
You will be a platform super-user who understands the strengths and limitations of the Medra platform and can apply creativity and scientific intuition to solve challenging problems. This role requires acting with urgency and thriving under pressure. Travel is required, up to 25-50%. The position is 100% in-person at the San Francisco office, with relocation benefits available.
The team comprises passionate, mission-driven engineers and scientists from companies like Tesla, Amazon, SpaceX, and Neuralink. The culture is collaborative, fast-moving, opinionated, and straightforward, with a focus on resolving conflicts quickly and empathetically.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Master's degree + 3 years of experience OR PhD in biological sciences or related field
- Deep scientific expertise as evidenced by a track record of top-tier publications and/or presentations
- Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within a team
- Innate curiosity about science and technology
BONUS QUALIFICATIONS:
- Expertise in adapting scientific workflows for execution with robotics and automation equipment/instrumentation
- Hands-on experience with emerging AI/ML tools and technologies
- Familiarity with enterprise software platforms and integrations with lab systems (ELN, LIMS, etc.)
- Experience in dynamic, start-up environments
