Senior Biology Research Scientist at The Biological Computing Co. (TBC) in San Francisco

Job description

• Application
• About TBC
• The Biological Computing Co. (TBC) is an applied biological computing company that uses real neurons to improve AI models.
• We study how biological neural networks process information, extract useful computational principles and translate those insights into software that makes modern AI models better, faster and more efficient. Our Algorithm Discovery Platform brings together biology, computational neuroscience, AI research and software engineering to develop new algorithms, architectures and neurally-optimized software for generative video and next-generation AI infrastructure.
• Today, we are commercializing neurally optimized models that run on conventional GPU and cloud infrastructure. Longer term, we are building toward real-time biological compute, where real neurons operate alongside silicon as part of the compute stack.
• Our interdisciplinary team includes researchers and engineers with experience at Apple, Johns Hopkins, Meta, MIT, Stanford and other leading institutions.
• We are hiring a Senior Biology Research Scientist to lead hands-on biological research in TBC’s San Francisco lab.
• You will design and execute experiments using living neural networks, develop reliable neuronal culture and electrophysiology workflows and generate the biological data that powers TBC’s Algorithm Discovery Platform. You will work closely with computational neuroscientists and AI researchers to connect measured neural activity to specific problems in modern AI models.
• This is a senior individual-contributor role for an experimental scientist who can move from scientific question to experimental design, execution, analysis and interpretation. You will own major biological workstreams, identify risks before they become blockers and help establish the standards required to make TBC’s biological platform more reproducible and scalable.
• You will also mentor junior scientists and laboratory staff, contribute to the broader scientific roadmap and help translate early biological findings into decision-quality evidence for the company.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead biological research
• Own major experimental workstreams involving cultured neuronal networks.
• Translate company and research priorities into clear biological hypotheses, experimental plans and measurable outcomes.
• Design appropriate controls, replicates and validation studies.
• Interpret results, identify alternative explanations and determine the next experiment.
• Present findings and recommendations to biology, neuroscience, AI and company leadership.
• Develop neuronal culture systems
• Culture, maintain and optimize mammalian neuronal networks for experimental use.
• Improve culture viability, maturity, consistency and functional performance.
• Develop workflows involving primary neural tissue and, as relevant, stem-cell-derived neurons or organoid systems.
• Diagnose biological variability and determine whether failures arise from cultures, protocols, hardware or experimental design.
• Establish quality-control criteria for deciding when cultures are ready for experimentation.
• Lead electrophysiology and MEA experiments
• Design and execute experiments using high-density multi-electrode arrays for neural stimulation and recording.
• Develop stimulation paradigms that test how living neural networks encode, transform and retain information.
• Ensure high-quality electrophysiological data collection, annotation and quality control.
• Work with computational neuroscientists to analyze population activity, temporal dynamics and neural-response structure.
• Improve the reliability and throughput of MEA preparation, recording and experimental workflows.
• Connect biology to AI research
• Partner with AI and computational neuroscience teams to identify model problems that can be studied experimentally in living neural systems.
• Help translate AI research questions into biologically meaningful experiments.
• Determine which biological measurements are sufficiently reproducible and interpretable to inform new algorithms or model architectures.
• Work across teams to connect biological findings to measurable changes in model quality, efficiency, stability or generalization.
• Contribute biological judgment to decisions about which research directions should advance, change or stop.
• Improve reproducibility and experimental throughput
• Develop and maintain SOPs, experimental protocols, quality standards and decision criteria.
• Build systems that make biological results easier to reproduce across scientists, cultures and experimental runs.
• Identify bottlenecks in culture preparation, MEA usage, data collection and analysis.
• Introduce new assays, tools and workflows where they materially improve scientific quality or speed.
• Preserve negative results, limitations and failed reproductions as part of TBC’s research record.
• Support laboratory quality and compliance
• Maintain rigorous experimental documentation, sample traceability and data-management practices.
• Follow and help improve biological safety, laboratory quality and GLP-aligned documentation standards.
• Support animal research activities, including tissue collection and experimental procedures, where applicable.
• Ensure work is performed in accordance with approved IACUC protocols and other relevant requirements.
• Partner with lab leadership on equipment, inventory, vendor and workflow planning.
• Mentor and strengthen the team
• Provide technical guidance to biology research scientists, research associates and laboratory technicians.
• Review experimental plans, protocols, results and documentation.
• Help teammates troubleshoot difficult scientific and technical problems.
• Raise the standard of experimental rigor, communication and scientific decision-making across the biology team.
• Contribute to interviewing, onboarding and training new biology hires.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent scientific experience.
• Five or more years of relevant experimental research experience, including significant independent ownership of research projects.
• Deep hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, primary neuronal culture or neural tissue systems.
• Experience designing controlled, reproducible biological experiments.
• Strong understanding of neuronal development, viability, connectivity and functional activity.
• Experience with electrophysiology, preferably multi-electrode arrays, patch clamp or related neural recording systems.
• Ability to distinguish biological signal from technical artifact and experimental noise.
• Strong scientific judgment and comfort making decisions under uncertainty.
• Experience analyzing, interpreting and communicating complex experimental results.
• Strong written documentation and data-management practices.
• Ability to work across biology, neuroscience, AI and engineering.
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving research environment where priorities evolve as evidence emerges.
• Ability to work full-time on site in TBC’s San Francisco wet lab.
• Experience with high-density MEA systems and closed-loop stimulation experiments.
• Experience with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, neural organoids or other advanced culture systems.
• Experience with cortical tissue isolation, rodent handling, surgical procedures, injections or tissue collection.
• Familiarity with IACUC protocols and animal-research compliance.
• Experience with immunohistochemistry, immunoassays, viral transduction, optogenetics or chemogenetics.
• Familiarity with neural plasticity, learning, memory, network dynamics or neural encoding.
• Experience using Python, MATLAB, R, GraphPad Prism or related tools for experimental analysis.
• Experience developing and validating new laboratory assays or experimental platforms.
• Experience in biotechnology, neurotechnology, AI-adjacent research or another interdisciplinary environment.
• Experience mentoring scientists, research associates or laboratory technicians.
• Publications or patents demonstrating meaningful scientific ownership.

Skills

Required

• Mammalian cell culture
• Primary neuronal culture
• Neural tissue systems
• Electrophysiology
• Multi-electrode arrays
• Patch clamp
• Experimental design
• Data analysis
• Scientific judgment
• Documentation
• Data management
• Cross-functional collaboration

Preferred

• High-density MEA systems
• Closed-loop stimulation
• Neural organoids
• Cortical tissue isolation
• Rodent handling
• Surgical procedures
• Injections
• Tissue collection