Chief Technology Officer

e184•Portland, OR

About The Position

As Chief Technology Officer at e184 Artificial Womb lab, you will lead the technical vision, architecture, and execution of the engineering platforms that enable long-term ex utero biological support. You will design and oversee the development of integrated systems spanning perfusion, sensing, automation, control architecture, and mechanical infrastructure required for artificial gestation technologies. Working closely with the CSO and executive leadership, you will translate biological requirements into scalable engineering solutions, guiding the design of closed-loop systems capable of maintaining stable physiological environments over extended developmental periods. You will build and lead a multidisciplinary engineering organization while establishing rigorous systems-engineering practices that ensure reliability, safety, and manufacturability. This role is ideal for a deeply technical systems thinker who is excited to solve one of the most complex engineering challenges in modern medicine â building synthetic environments capable of supporting human development â within a fast-moving, mission-driven startup environment.

Requirements

PhD or advanced degree in engineering, bioengineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, or a related field (or equivalent industry experience)
7+ years of post-graduate research or industry experience developing complex integrated engineering or medical device systems
Strong expertise in systems engineering and closed-loop system design
Deep knowledge of fluid mechanics and perfusion system engineering, including flow control, shear stress considerations, and long-term sterile circulation
Experience designing and integrating medical or bioengineering hardware platforms
Proficiency with sensor integration, embedded systems, and computer-controlled instrumentation
Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and managing complex engineering projects from concept through implementation
Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on within a fast-paced startup environment

Nice To Haves

Systems engineering principles and architecture
Closed-loop systems and control design
Failure-mode analysis and redundancy planning
Fluid mechanics and pump/flow control strategies
Oxygenator and gas-exchange technologies
Medical device and mechanical system design
Biosensors, optical monitoring, and signal filtering
Real-time data acquisition and control systems
Precision and sterile manufacturing environments
Automation and AI-driven experimental systems
Control theory and reinforcement learning concepts
Biomaterials, hydrogel systems, and ECM mechanics
Surface coatings and fouling prevention strategies
Biocompatibility and protein adsorption dynamics
Regulatory translation, including FDA medical device pathways
ISO 13485 and ISO 14971 quality and risk standards

Responsibilities

Architect integrated biological systems: Define and lead the development of the companyâs core technology platform, integrating fluidic, mechanical, sensing, and computational subsystems into cohesive, reliable ex utero support systems.
Design long-term perfusion and support platforms: Lead engineering design of perfusion architectures, oxygenation systems, mechanical assemblies, and environmental control systems required for stable long-duration biological support.
Implement systems engineering rigor: Apply closed-loop design principles, redundancy strategies, and failure-mode analysis to ensure robustness, safety, and continuous operation of complex biological platforms.
Develop sensing and control infrastructure: Oversee integration of biosensors, optical monitoring, embedded systems, and real-time data acquisition pipelines enabling adaptive environmental control and automated experimentation.
Lead engineering execution: Build, mentor, and guide multidisciplinary engineering teams across mechanical, electrical, software, and computational domains while fostering technical excellence and collaborative problem solving.
Translate biology into engineering: Partner closely with scientific teams to convert physiological and developmental requirements into engineering specifications and data-driven design decisions.
Drive technical strategy and delivery: Establish technical roadmaps, manage engineering milestones, and communicate progress and strategy to executive leadership.
Enable scalable manufacturing: Guide system design toward manufacturability, reliability, and regulatory readiness, supporting future clinical translation.