Company Summary

Lila Sciences is a privately held, early-stage technology company pioneering the application of artificial intelligence to transform every aspect of the scientific method. Lila is backed by Flagship Pioneering, which brings the courage, long-term vision, and resources needed to realize unreasonable results. Join our mission-driven team and contribute to the future of science.

Our Life Sciences effort is leveraging AI and high-throughput automation for valuable therapeutic discovery and development across biological modalities.

At Lila, we are uniquely cross-functional and collaborative. We are actively reimagining the way teams work together and communicate. Therefore, we seek individuals with an inclusive mindset and a diversity of thought. Our teams thrive in unstructured and creative environments. All voices are heard because we know that experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way.

If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, please apply.

The Role 

We are seeking an experienced Stem Cell Biologist who will build our platform for autonomous science- where biology, automation and AI iterate in tight loops to generate new knowledge and unlock therapeutic design at unprecedented scale. We need someone who can build new biological capabilities from the ground up and then use them as the foundation to drive entirely new kinds of experimentation and discovery.  

We’re looking for a Principal Scientist in Stem Cell Differentiation & Engineering who is ready to: 

• Architect and operationalize a stem cell biology technology stack inside a growing AI-native platform. 
• Engineer new ways for differentiated cells to report, respond, and adapt to experimental inputs and process controls. 
• Lead cross-functional teams of biologists, engineers, and AI scientists to invent the next layers of platform capability. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Build protocols for robust, scalable, and modular differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into functional lineages (pancreatic, neuronal, hepatic, hematopoietic, etc.). 
• Develop experimental methods including RT-PCR, flow cytometry, high content imaging and spatial multi-omics to comprehensively characterize stem cell phenotypes.
• Engineer cell lines with reporters, sensors, and control systems for downstream phenotyping and feedback.
• Translate cutting-edge biology into reliable, automatable protocols that feed into closed-loop experimental cycles. Partner with automation, software, and AI teams to co-design biology that’s built to scale and built to learn. 
• Drive cross functional project teams that blend experimental biology, robotics, and ML in building high-throughput environments for autonomous science. 
• Bring an engineer’s mindset to biology: operating in a way that is scalable, reproducible, modular, and composable. 
• Be a source of scientific vision and a mentor to others, shaping both the work and the way we work. 

Qualifications 

• Have a Ph.D. (or equivalent expertise) in stem cell biology, developmental biology, or bioengineering. 
• Have 8+ years of experience with stem cell differentiation and engineering, ideally across multiple lineages.
• Have built biology that others use—protocols, platforms, cell lines, or toolkits—and you know how to scale that value.
• Speak multiple “languages”: biology, automation, data, design of experiments. 
• Thrive when collaborating across disciplines—especially in environments where the path isn’t pre-defined. 
• Want to work in a culture that values learning velocity and curiosity. 

Working at Lila, you would have access to advanced technology in the areas of:

• AI experimental design and simulation
• Automated custom instrumentation
• Generative molecular and material design

About Flagship

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.