Senior/Staff Research Associate

Pendulum•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Pendulum is seeking a Senior Research Associate or Staff Research Associate, depending on experience, to join its Product Development team. The role supports anaerobic probiotic strain production and strain quality control through fermentation operations, flow cytometry workflows, and exploratory laboratory work. Its work will contribute to improving current products and developing new products. The position is suited to someone who enjoys a fast-growing, mission-driven company and a collaborative, nimble environment, and who can solve problems creatively while working with limited resources.

Requirements

B.S. with at least 4 years of post-graduation experience, or an M.S. degree.
Expertise in microbiology aseptic techniques and anaerobic bacterial growth.
Expertise independently operating fermentation bioreactor systems such as DASGIP.
Expertise in flow cytometry techniques for live/dead bacterial cell classification.
Proficiency in basic anaerobic microbiology and sterile technique.
Ability to work independently and contribute fully to a fast-paced, multifunctional team.
Experience developing and writing SOPs, documenting and tracking lot numbers, and using laboratory management systems.
Comfort handling human and animal samples, including stool, skin, and blood.
Detail-oriented and organized, with good oral and written presentation skills.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Google apps, basic data analysis, and basic AI tools.

Nice To Haves

Experience with shelf-life and stability testing of live biotherapeutic or probiotic products.
Familiarity with real-time and accelerated stability study design and execution.
Experience handling human and animal samples, including stool, skin, and blood (preferred).

Responsibilities

Independently operate DASGIP bioreactor systems for anaerobic probiotic strain fermentation, including sterile setup, inoculation, and process monitoring.
Lead and manage the design of experiments for anaerobic fermentation.
Run and analyze flow cytometry assays supporting strain quality control and process development across multiple concurrent projects.
Develop subject-matter expertise in flow cytometry.
Apply rigorous aseptic and anaerobic techniques in fermentation and general microbiology work.
Manage and organize assay workflows, draft protocols, and support day-to-day laboratory operations.
Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams on experimental design, execution, and data analysis.
Stay up to date on scientific literature related to microbiology.