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The Principal Automation Scientist is self-reliant with a formidable record of accomplishments, independently looking for opportunities to build and deploy automation solutions across a number of drug discovery projects. The Principal Automation Scientist innovates and leverages automation in areas of disease biology using patient relevant cellular models and appropriate readouts of the disease or target mechanisms under investigation, generating insights that influence research strategies. The role provides reliable, valuable advice to other research teams and departments on a regular basis, and exhibits an ability to make significant conceptual automation contributions.

The successful candidate will automate the generation of high quality cellular screening reagents including multiple cell lines and iPSC derived organoids, and automate high throughput screens using these cellular reagents at scale. They will work with our automation engineer to develop and optimise assay protocols on robotic systems e.g. HighRes Cellario, ensuring optimal efficiency and performance. They will interact with other team members to miniaturise, increase the throughput of protocols and apply automation, develop and optimise liquid handling methods and support a range of workflows including complex cell culture, compound treatment, preparation of samples for endpoint analysis (e.g. flow cytometry, imaging). They will be able to train colleagues to use automation and instrumentation, explore new technology and robotic solutions working with automation engineers across our research organization to share learnings and establish best practices.

The ideal candidate may have

• Built innovative automation solutions to industrialize complex data rich higher throughput screens

• Experience of adapting protocols to automation and support teams using automation

• Ability to interact with vendors to maintain systems at peak performance

• Experience of developing and optimizing complex protocols on liquid handling devices (e.g. Hamilton, Bravo, Biomek, Tecan)

• Expertise in and ability to implement and troubleshoot automation scheduling software (Green Button Go, Cellario, or equivalent)

• Experience in automating complex cell culture

• Able to work in a team with good interpersonal and communication skills

• Attention to detail, good organizational skills and fully compliant with Vertex policies

• Experience of building and leveraging state-of-the-art automation for high throughput screening an industrial setting

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