Pioneer Labs Scientist - Mars Simulation Systems Emeryville, CA · Full time Company website

Apply for Scientist - Mars Simulation Systems

Pioneer Labs is a startup engineering life to make Mars more habitable. We are engineering five organisms that will help humanity thrive on the red planet, and the first is already complete. Our mission is to make the universe friendlier to life - on Earth and beyond. We are a nonprofit research startup based in Emeryville, California. We do marsshot science with an agile, startup-esque team. See pioneer-labs.org to learn more, or visit https://blog.pioneer-labs.org to read more about our science.

We are looking for a scientist to join the team and help us subject biology to simulated Mars conditions. We are looking for someone whose first scientific language is physics, who gets excited about building unusual apparatus with biologists, and who has a background in physical experimentation, especially for space science. We want you to join the team and take our physical simulations of Mars to the next level and participate in translating our work into mission concepts. This is a full time in-person role in Emeryville California.

Key responsibilities

Experimental biophysics:

• Design, build, and operate low-pressure Mars simulation devices with controlled temperature, gas composition, illumination, and humidity or water activity.
• Integrate vacuum hardware, sensors, imaging, data acquisition, and automation.
• Work with biologists to design and operate hardware for long-duration evolution experiments.
• Characterize biomaterials and biological growth aided by biomaterial structures.
• Create computational models that correspond to experimental apparatus, including thermal models.
• Contribute to developing mission concepts for flight testing biotech in low Earth orbit, the moon, and on Mars

Key experience and competencies

Technical:

• Training in materials science or a related field, and research experience in a PhD or industry setting. A PhD is not required.
• Hands-on experience designing, operating, and troubleshooting vacuum or low-pressure experiments.
• Experience building custom apparatus, integrating sensors, calibrating instruments, and quantifying uncertainty.
• A solid foundation in thermal physics, heat transfer, radiative transfer, gas dynamics, thermodynamics, or phase change.
• Ability to model physical systems and analyze data using Python, MATLAB, Julia, or similar tools.
• Experience with space mission design and/or execution is desirable but not required.

Interpersonal:

• Evidence that you can move comfortably between disciplines and between theory and experiment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a willingness to learn new skills and teach these to others
• Strong verbal and written communication
• Genuine excitement about space and ambitious science without a standard protocol.

Salary and benefits

Pioneer Labs takes a market-based approach to compensation. We benchmark salaries based on equivalents in for-profit biotech startups. The anticipated base salary range for this role is $130k - $170k/year, and we will evaluate candidates at a correspondingly wide range of career stages. The candidate's starting pay will be determined based on experience and interview performance.

In addition, we offer benefits including:

• Visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis
• Health Insurance (inc. medical, dental, and vision) for employee and dependents
• Family leave (up to 12 weeks)
• A flexible time off policy
• Employer-matched 401(k) plan

Note: No cover letter needed. Instead, we'd love to see a picture of something you built that you're proud of. Please save it as a PDF and upload it in the Cover letter field when you apply.