Senior Scientist, Surface Chemistry

Element Biosciences•San Diego, CA

10d•$125,000 - $165,000•Onsite

About The Position

At Element Biosciences, we are passionate about our mission to empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity. We have built a highly efficient product-driven organization where employees can learn, grow, and thrive in a challenging but encouraging environment. We are committed to scientific integrity, collegiality, honesty, objectivity, and openness. We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join our surface chemistry team and contribute to the development of innovative new products in the field of next-generation sequencing and multiomics applications. In this role, you will lead technical execution within defined projects, contribute original ideas, and collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to translate research concepts into robust, manufacturable products. This role will report to the Director, Surface Chemistry and will be a San Diego based role. If you possess the following and want to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to explore this role. Essential Functions and Responsibilities: Design, develop, and evaluate novel surface chemistry approaches to enable next-generation sequencing applications Lead defined product development efforts, including experimental design, prototyping, functional testing, and data analysis Apply a strong understanding of biomolecule–surface interactions to solve technical challenges and improve assay performance Identify and resolve experimental challenges related to assay design, protocol execution, reagent selection, and surface performance Support the transfer of surface chemistry solutions from research into product development and manufacturing, in collaboration with process development and operations teams Maintain hands-on involvement in laboratory experimentation and troubleshooting throughout the development lifecycle Contribute innovative ideas and technical insight to early-stage concept development and feasibility assessments Contribute technical expertise to invention disclosures and patent applications in collaboration with the IP legal team and senior technical leadership Collaborate effectively with colleagues in product management, assay development, engineering, and manufacturing to ensure alignment and successful execution Prepare and deliver high-quality technical reports and presentations that summarize findings, support decision-making, and document development progress

Requirements

PhD. in chemistry, materials science, biochemistry, bioengineering, physics, or a related field
5+ years of relevant industry experience in surface chemistry, materials science, or biomolecular interfaces (post-doctoral and/or industry experience) in life sciences or diagnostics
Strong publication and presentation record, with contributions to patents or novel methods
Deep expertise in surface chemistry, polymer chemistry and biomolecule–surface interactions is required
Operate with a high degree of independence in experimental planning, execution, and data interpretation, requiring minimal day-to-day supervision
Apply strong scientific judgment to extrapolate from existing expertise and address novel or ambiguous technical challenges
Proactively identify risks, knowledge gaps, and opportunities, and propose data-driven paths forward within defined project scope
Communicate with clarity and purpose across disciplines, enabling alignment, informed decisions, and efficient collaboration

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience developing functional coatings for biological assays in microfluidics or lab-on-chip devices is highly preferred
Background in NGS, genomics, proteomics or multiomics platforms is preferred
Familiarity with surface analytical techniques such as AFM, ellipsometry, FTIR, SEM, TOF-SIMS, and XPS are preferred
Familiarity with manufacturing constraints, process transfer or scale-up

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and evaluate novel surface chemistry approaches to enable next-generation sequencing applications
Lead defined product development efforts, including experimental design, prototyping, functional testing, and data analysis
Apply a strong understanding of biomolecule–surface interactions to solve technical challenges and improve assay performance
Identify and resolve experimental challenges related to assay design, protocol execution, reagent selection, and surface performance
Support the transfer of surface chemistry solutions from research into product development and manufacturing, in collaboration with process development and operations teams
Maintain hands-on involvement in laboratory experimentation and troubleshooting throughout the development lifecycle
Contribute innovative ideas and technical insight to early-stage concept development and feasibility assessments
Contribute technical expertise to invention disclosures and patent applications in collaboration with the IP legal team and senior technical leadership
Collaborate effectively with colleagues in product management, assay development, engineering, and manufacturing to ensure alignment and successful execution
Prepare and deliver high-quality technical reports and presentations that summarize findings, support decision-making, and document development progress