Advisor/Sr. Advisor Automation, RNA Therapeutics

Responsibilities

• Partner with internal partners to understand scientific workflows and develop automation solutions that improve throughput, reproducibility, data quality, and the generation of structured experimental datasets.
• Design automation workflows that minimize experimental variability and bias while ensuring consistent metadata capture and traceability, enabling datasets suitable for downstream analytics and AI/ML model development.
• Lead implementation of complex automation platforms including RNA processing systems and next generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation workcells.
• Develop robust liquid handling methods on Hamilton STAR liquid handling platforms including liquid class optimization, assay miniaturization, and workflow standardization.
• Implement integrated automation workcells involving liquid handlers, plate handling robotics, and analytical instrumentation.
• Contribute to the automation strategy and evolve solutions with business needs.
• Find opportunities to improve reliability, efficiency, and scalability of existing automation platforms.
• Implement complex integrated projects while proactively identifying risks and mitigation strategies and communicating progress to partners.
• Work with Lab Operations and IT teams to plan space requirements, installation of automation hardware, and automation supply management.
• Translate biological workflows into automation requirements including data capture, metadata tracking, experiment lineage and integration with digital systems.
• Provide end user training and support for automation systems and digital laboratory platforms including ELN and LIMS systems such as Benchling to ensure consistent workflow execution and high quality experimental data capture.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams including scientists, hardware engineers, software engineers, informatics teams, data engineers, and data scientists.
• Contribute to vendor selection and evaluation for automation hardware, software, and technology solutions.

Requirements

• BS in engineering or related field with 15+ years of pharma or biotech laboratory automation experience OR MS in engineering or related field with 10+ years of pharma or biotech laboratory automation experience, including demonstrated leadership in implementing complex automation platforms and delivering large scale automation systems.
• Extensive experience designing and implementing laboratory automation solutions in an industry environment, including leading complex platform deployments and supporting production scale automation systems.
• Deep hands-on experience designing, developing, and optimizing methods on Hamilton STAR liquid handling platforms, including authoring STAR methods, developing and tuning liquid classes, solving complex liquid handling behavior issues, and standardizing workflows across multiple systems or sites.
• Experience implementing complex liquid handling methods including bead based workflows, assay miniaturization, and high precision pipetting.
• Experience automating next generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation workflows including bead cleanup, normalization, and indexing PCR.
• Experience implementing integrated automation workcells involving liquid handlers, robotics, and supporting analytical instrumentation.
• Experience integrating automation systems with scheduling software such as Biosero Green Button Go.
• Strong understanding of molecular biology workflows including RNA extraction, nucleic acid quantification, and sequencing workflows.
• Experience integrating automation workflows with digital laboratory systems such as Benchling or similar ELN/LIMS platforms.
• Experience developing automation requirements and documenting business processes.
• Experience writing technical documentation including SOPs and automation specifications.
• Fluency with Python or similar scripting languages.
• Strong communication skills for technical and non technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously in a collaborative environment.