Associate Scientist III, Cardiac Modeling
About The Position
insitro is a physical AI company dedicated to unlocking causal human biology and accelerating the delivery of better medicines to patients. Our unique Virtual Human™ platform identifies novel, high-impact genetic intervention points, which our TherML™ platform translates into therapeutics—whether small molecules, biologics, or oligos. With multiple programs in metabolic disease and neuroscience advancing toward the clinic, and our first IND submission slated for the second half of this year, we are at a pivotal inflection point. We are seeking an Associate Scientist III to join our cardiac disease biology team. In this role, you will support the development and application of iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte (iPSC-CM) models to study the genetic and molecular underpinnings of cardiovascular disease — working at the intersection of human stem cell biology, cardiac physiology, and scalable experimental platforms to generate the datasets that fuel our ML-driven drug discovery efforts. You will design and execute experiments, optimize differentiation workflows, develop functional and scalable functional assays to connect cellular phenotypes to disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.
Requirements
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree in biology, biochemistry, or related discipline with at least 2 years of relevant experience in the biotech/biopharma industry
- Deep hands-on experience in iPSC culture, cardiac directed differentiation and iPSC-CM model characterization in 2D (monolayer) format.
- Previous experience developing genetic iPSC-CM disease models — patient-derived lines, CRISPR-edited isogenic pairs — to study cardiovascular mechanisms
- Background in cardiomyocyte biology and/or cardiovascular disease is preferred
- Experience with functional assays relevant to cardiomyocyte biology (contractility, calcium, electrophysiology, imaging, stress responses).
- Hands-on expertise in molecular assays, such as PCR, RT-qPCR, Western Blot and immunofluorescence
- Track record of executing rigorous experiments and communicating findings clearly in publications, presentations or internal reports
- Comfortable managing multiple tasks efficiently, communicating clearly and effectively, building open and collaborative relationships and are curious about implementing novel ML models into functional biology
- Thrive in a fast-paced environment working both independently and as part of a small, dedicated team while staying aligned with the team objectives
- Excel at designing and executing experiments with the utmost scientific rigor, strong attention to detail and a positive and go-getter attitude towards unexpected results and challenges
Nice To Haves
- Prior experience in 3D/engineered heart tissue platforms or organoids is a plus
- Prior exposure and experience working with high-throughput platforms and/or automated systems is a plus
Responsibilities
- Support the generation and maintenance of iPSC lines and their differentiation into cardiomyocytes in 2D format (monolayers), implementing rigorous quality control points at each stage of the pipeline and with emphasis on production scalability
- Assist in building isogenic iPSC-CM disease models — including patient and CRISPR-edited lines carrying disease-associated variants — and characterizing the cellular model to study cardiovascular pathophysiology
- Support the development and optimization of functional assays relevant to cardiovascular disease —contractility, electrophysiology, calcium handling, stress responses, high-content imaging — in formats compatible with high-throughput data acquisition
- Documentation including writing/reviewing technical procedures and SOPs, presentation of results in team meetings and maintaining laboratory notebook with scientific rigor
- Contribute to target identification and validation efforts by connecting cellular phenotypes to human genetic evidence, aligning around the team and company goals to advance drug discovery
Benefits
- Annual Performance Bonus Plan
- Equity Incentive Plan
- 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
- Open, flexible vacation policy
- Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
- Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
- New hire stipend for home office setup
- Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
- Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
- Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Associate degree
