Product Engineer

About Plasmidsaurus

Plasmidsaurus is on a mission to accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking a new level of productivity for scientists who use DNA tools to bring their ideas to life. Our DNA sequencing tools are used daily by thousands of innovators, including Nobel prize winners, dynamic biotech startups, research labs, and DIY biohackers. Our global network of labs operates day and night to enable world-changing discoveries. In 2024, we saved these scientists 2 million hours of time, radically accelerating their research. Every team member at Plasmidsaurus plays a crucial role in driving forward the future of biotech research.

DNA sequencing is fundamental to a biologist’s daily workflow. Just like software engineers program computers in code, biologists program life in DNA - they do this every day. However, every time a biologist updates their DNA (via a chemical process), they have to sequence the DNA to make sure the update works. That’s where we come in! 

We sequence DNA overnight (and same-day). Our global logistics network transports tubes of DNA from a scientist’s hand from anywhere in the world to one of our 10 labs in under 12 hours. Our technicians come in the evening/sunrise to load our robots which process the samples. By sunrise, the scientists have their results and begin their next round of experiments. We made this process 30 times cheaper and 10 times faster. 

Position Overview

Plasmidsaurus has already revolutionized the scientific protocol of DNA sequencing - the next step is to create tools to enable intuitive analysis of their data. You'll build and own highly interactive web apps that allow scientists to visualize their DNA sequencing results, quickly identify mutations, and discover new insights about their sample as part of their world-changing research. Users have shared they're ecstatic for the features you'll be working on. You would design new backend microservices from the ground-up that support these applications.  In this position you will:

• Design, build, and maintain intuitive web applications that enable scientists to visualize/analyze their DNA sequencing results

• Develop REST APIs and microservices for communication between web applications and backend systems

• Build robust workflows for biotech, pharma, and academic institutions

• Build intuitive internal tools to help lab technicians with daily sample processing across global labs

Culture

You are someone who:

• Enjoys high agency and high ownership work

• Is curious about learning from other people’s expertise in scientific/biological domains

• Is excited to make an impact on the scientific community, enabling the next generation of medicines, biotechnology, and even plant-based-meats!

• Can lead projects from idea to production independently

• Is a life-long learner

• Is excited to work in a tight-knit fast-paced environment with a motivated team

• Values clear communication and helping other learn new skills

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, or relevant work experience

• 3 + years of industry experience

• Experience with full-stack Python frameworks like Flask or Django

• Experience with modern JS frameworks like React, Vue, or Svelte

• Experience with TypeScript

• Experience with modern unit and integration testing frameworks for Python/JS web applications

• Experience using CI/CD to deploy web applications

• Experience with REST API best practices and microservices architecture

• Familiarity with SQL and data modeling in relational databases

• (Preferred) interest in learning data visualization in D3.js

• (Preferred) interest in learning about biotechnology and DNA sequence visualization

We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description as we seek out diverse and creative perspectives. Team members who love to learn and collaborate in an inclusive environment will thrive with us. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please let us know at [email protected].