Director, Bioengineering
Parallel Bio
At Parallel Bio, we are using the immune system to unlock safer, more effective drugs. By creating access to genuine human biology in a diverse, reproducible, and scalable way we’re changing the way researchers find, test, refine, and deliver these life-changing therapies.
The human immune system is the master regulator of health and disease in our bodies. Current tools used to discover drugs that target the immune system are wildly inadequate. To fix this critical gap, Parallel Bio created a human ‘immune system in a dish’ to rapidly accelerate the development of new drugs and immunotherapies more likely to work in patients. This means developing drugs that are known to safely work in humans before the first patient receives the first dose and an end to needlessly destroying millions of lab animals in the pursuit of human health.
By blending this biological innovation with the latest in high-throughput lab automation and integrated data capture & analysis, we’re creating a new type of biotech – one that brings the advantages of cloud computing to next-generation wet lab studies.
Why Work With Us
As a biologist, joining our team means:
Pushing forward the understanding of how the immune system functions with real-world experimentation.
Helping create new experimental methods that can be repeated and varied from the keyboard instead of the bench.
Learning modern data & software practices - techniques considered beyond the cutting-edge in biotech.
Creating experiments where copies of the same organism can be held constant - either for varied treatments or repeated across replicants to drive down scientific uncertainty.
Access to diverse populations varied by sex, age, race, medical history can be used repeatedly and repeatably.
As a technologist, joining our team means bringing the rigor and scalability of computing into the biological domain:
Work a problem with clear benefits for humanity. This is work worth doing.
Bring modern software and data practices to biotech, an industry still catching up on 15 years of big data tech evolution.
The breadth of our systems is breath-taking: from low-level robotics programming to data science & visualization to AI models of immune response and everything in-between. As a small team we tend to work across these areas rather than be siloed into one of them.
Software is a first-class product concern at Parallel Bio, not a cost-center / service organization. We operate wet labs but we ship data-as-a-product.
Learn the intricacies of the biological computing system that is the human immune system: antibody selection and production is a complex search problem.
Responsibilities:
We are seeking a Director of Bioengineering to lead our scientific team in advancing our immune organoid platform in Watertown. This role presents a unique opportunity to lead a cross-functional team to drive innovation of our immune organoid platform and maintaining scientific oversight of internal R&D projects related to that platform. The ideal candidate will excel at bridging high-level strategy with concrete plans and priorities, enabling iterative development and process optimization to accelerate research.
Lead and Inspire a Team: Manage and mentor an existing team of scientists and engineers, fostering growth and collaboration to drive innovation.
Shape the Future of Immune Organoids: Drive the advancement of our immune organoid platform by applying cutting-edge bioengineering and R&D approaches.
Bridge Vision and Execution: Transform high-level strategic goals into actionable plans and experimental priorities.
Embrace Iteration and Growth: Start small to test hypotheses and optimize processes before scaling up to maximize efficiency and impact.
Streamline Discovery: Develop and refine bench-top automation tools to increase R&D throughput and eliminate bottlenecks, enabling faster experimentation and discovery.
Tackle Uncharted Territory: Innovate at the intersection of biology and engineering, thriving in areas where solutions have yet to be defined.
Job Requirements
Note to candidates: The requirements listed here are an exhaustive list of useful traits but not a hard list of requirements. Candidates who don't fulfill one or more of the listed requirements but still think they are strong candidates are encouraged to apply.
Technical Abilities
Ph.D. in Bioengineering, biomedical engineering, or related field
12+ years of relevant experience in bioengineering or tissue engineering, including 6+ years in industry research settings
Strong understanding of in vitro systems, particularly in developing complex tissue models
Hands-on expertise in bioreactor design, tissue engineering, microfluidics, or organoid culture systems
Experience developing and deploying bench-top automation tools to enhance research workflows
Excellence in experimental design, optimization, and data analysis with a focus on reproducibility and scalability
Proven ability to generate and test hypotheses through iterative R&D approaches
Leadership and Organizational Abilities
Proven experience as a manager and team leader, with the ability to oversee and inspire an existing team
Ability to connect high-level strategy to tangible research priorities and experimental plans
Track record of successfully managing complex projects, from conceptualization through execution, analysis, and conclusion
Ability to troubleshoot biological and technical challenges in real time, applying engineering principles to solve problems
Strong organizational and project management skills, balancing multiple priorities while maintaining quality, timelines, and resource allocations
Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and mentor junior scientists to drive team performance
Excellent communication skills for sharing results and aligning priorities across multidisciplinary teams