{"id":2472559,"url":"https://alion.io/job/pendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate","title":"Senior/Staff Research Associate","company":{"id":1799182,"name":"Pendulum","domain":"pendulumlife.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/pendulumlife","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Lever","truth_index":null},"role":"Science & Research","role_family":"Science & Research","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Francisco, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":110500,"max":123500,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":123500},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":4,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Bioreactors","optional":false},{"name":"Design of Experiments","optional":false},{"name":"Flow Cytometry","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-13T19:40:15Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-13","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T17:48:02Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":20,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":20},"description":"About Pendulum\nPendulum® is leading a revolution that is occurring around the world to improve physical and mental health by first understanding, then restoring and enhancing the human microbiome.\nStudies have shown that our microbiome (the bacterial communities in and on our bodies) is linked to everything from metabolism and diabetes, to longevity, weight loss, healthy immune systems, cancer prevention, feelings of well-being, inflammatory bowel disease, and even healthy skin. We have just scratched the surface on understanding the impact that our microbiome has on our lives. During early life we develop a diverse and balanced microbiome that plays a critical role in shaping our long-term health. Over our lives, a combination of diet, lifestyle, antibiotics, and aging can decrease the effectiveness of our microbiome.\nPendulum recognized the enormous impact they could have on people’s lives if they were able to address the imbalances in the microbiome. To accomplish this, Pendulum created proprietary probiotic pipelines and a unique discovery platform to identify key, novel bacterial strains and the prebiotics that feed them. The company has also built and developed the world’s first manufacturing technology to produce bacteria in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment at scale.\nThe medical probiotics that Pendulum has formulated have transformed the consumer probiotics market into a new category of therapeutic offerings that deliver the power and efficacy of a pharmaceutical with the safety and accessibility of a natural probiotic. Due to Pendulum’s explosive revenue and customer growth over the last two years, the company earned a spot on Forbes Magazine’s exclusive “The Next Billion Dollar Startups” list.\nIf you’re interested in improving the lives of people globally and you love working in a cross-functional, collaborative, inspiring environment, please continue reading.\nPosition Summary:\nPendulum is currently seeking a Senior Research Associate (or Staff Research Associate, depending on experience) to join our Product Development team. This role will carry significant responsibility across fermentation operations and flow cytometry workflows, supporting anaerobic probiotic strain production and strain quality control, along with other exploratory lab work. Strong aseptic and anaerobic techniques are core requirements. This role's work will directly support improvements to current products as well as the development of new products.\nWe’re looking for someone who’s energized by the pace and possibility of a fast-growing, mission-driven company. You thrive in a collaborative, nimble environment where ideas are shaped through iteration, feedback, and shared vision. You’re not just a big thinker-you’re also a creative problem-solver who knows how to make things happen with limited resources. If you're excited by the opportunity to help shape a young brand from the ground up, and passionate about building something with purpose, you'll feel right at home here.\nWhat You'll Do:\nIndependently operate DASGIP bioreactor systems for anaerobic probiotic strain fermentation, including sterile setup, inoculation, and process monitoring\n\nLead and manage design of experiments for anaerobic fermentation\n\nRun and analyze flow cytometry assays supporting strain quality control and process development, managing this work across multiple concurrent projects\n\nBecome a subject matter expert in flow cytometry\n\nExecute rigorous aseptic and anaerobic technique across fermentation and general microbiology work\n\nManage and organize assay workflows, draft protocols, and support day-to-day lab operations\n\nWork with cross-disciplinary teams on experimental design, execution, and data analysis\n\nKeep up-to-date on current scientific literature related to microbiology\n\nKnowledge Requirements:\nB.S. with 4+ years experience post graduation or MS graduate\n\nExpert in aseptic techniques used in microbiology and anaerobic growth of bacteria; expert in independently operating bioreactor systems (e.g., DASGIP) for fermentation\n\nExpert in in flow cytometry techniques used for live/dead bacterial cell classification\n\nProficiency in basic anaerobic microbiology and sterile technique\n\nDemonstrated ability to work independently and be a fully contributing member of a multi-functional fast-paced team environment\n\nExperience developing/writing SOPs, documenting and tracking lot numbers, and using lab management systems\n\nComfort (and preferably experience) in handling human and animal samples, including stool, skin and blood\n\nDetail oriented and organized, with good oral and written presentation skills\n\nFamiliar with Microsoft office, Google apps, basic data analysis, and basic AI tools\n\nExperience with shelf-life and stability testing of live biotherapeutic or probiotic products (a plus)\n\nFamiliarity with real-time and accelerated stability study design and execution (a plus)\n\nSalary & Benefits\n$110,500 - $123,500\nMedical, Dental, and Vision\nCommuter Benefits\nLife & STD Insurance\nCompany match on 401 (k)\nFlexible Time Off (FTO)\nEquity","description_format":"text","description_chars":5086,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":4,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Flexible time off"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Biotechnology","Microbiome","Dietary Supplements"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-13T20:18:36Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":73,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.813,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":19,"expected_fill_days":31,"reasons":["conf:1","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":123500,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/pendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/pendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T20:39:25Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":28893,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1799182},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1799182"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fpendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fpendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fpendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/pendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fpendulum-seniorstaff-research-associate"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2472559}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"pendulumlife.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2472559},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); 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