Research Associate I/II, Production
BigHat Biosciences
San Mateo, CA, USA
USD 75k-105k / year + Equity
Posted on Apr 11, 2026
The Role: BigHat Biosciences is seeking a self-motivated individual for a Research Associate I/II, Production, role to power our high-throughput, automated platform for antibody production and deep molecular characterization.
- Department
- Lab Science
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Location
- San Mateo, CA
- Workplace type
- Onsite
Key Responsibilities
- Perform automated and manual high-throughput processing on the BigHat platform, including DNA preparation, protein expression, and protein characterization.
- Contribute to the scaling up of BigHat’s platform and production-grade data generation.
- Support BigHat’s Platform Reagents & Assay Support (PRAS) function by contributing to in-house reagent manufacturing efforts.
- Execute experiments to optimize the performance efficiency of BigHat’s platform.
- Keep a detailed record of all experiments using BigHat’s documentation tools, and clearly communicate results and challenges.
- Collaborate on the creation of laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sample processing.
- Collaborate closely with BigHat team members to identify, design, and implement critical process and operational improvements to production workflows and laboratory systems.
- Operate automated liquid handlers and analytical instruments to ensure all lab and platform operations run efficiently.
Skills Knowledge and Expertise
- BS in Biology or Chemistry, with 1+ year(s) of industry experience
- Experience in process execution, laboratory method development, optimization, and troubleshooting.
- Hands-on experience with, or interest in, automated liquid handlers (e.g. Hamilton, OpenTrons, Tecan, Agilent systems). Experience with LIMS is a nice-to-have.
- Experience with molecular biology techniques and general lab practices.
- Efficient time management and ability to work on several projects simultaneously, in a dynamic start-up environment.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate with members of a multidisciplinary team.
- Excellent record keeping abilities to document experimental work and analytical data.
- Nice-to-haves include previous experience working with barcoding systems, inventory tracking, and experience with Google Workspace tools (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.)
Total Rewards
The salary estimated for this position is $75,000 - $105,000 + bonus + options + benefits. Compensation will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Actual compensation will be confirmed in writing at the time of the offer.
What BigHat Offers:
What BigHat Offers:
- Range of health insurance plan options through Anthem and Kaiser (monthly credit if benefit waived)
- Dental, and vision coverage through Guardian
- Additional well-being benefits through Nayya, OneMedical, Wagmo, Rula, and more
- 401(k) with company match
- DTO, two weeks of company-wide shutdown, and 12 company holidays
- Paid parental leave
About BigHat Biosciences
BigHat Biosciences designs safer, more effective biologic therapies for patients using machine learning and synthetic biology.
BigHat integrates a wet lab for high-speed characterization with machine learning technologies to guide the search for better antibodies. We apply these design capabilities to develop new generations of safer and more effective treatments for patients suffering from today’s most challenging diseases.
BigHat integrates a wet lab for high-speed characterization with machine learning technologies to guide the search for better antibodies. We apply these design capabilities to develop new generations of safer and more effective treatments for patients suffering from today’s most challenging diseases.
BigHat is a Series B biotech outside San Francisco with a team-oriented, inclusive, and family-friendly culture. Our broad pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered therapeutic programs span many disparate indications with high unmet need, such as cancer, inflammation, and infectious disease. BigHat has raised >$100M from top investors, including Section 32, a16z, and 8VC.
Our Hiring Process
Stage 1:
Applied
Stage 2:
Initial Conversation | Head of Talent
Stage 3:
Initial Conversation | Hiring Manager
Stage 4:
1st Technical Screen
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