Research Specialist / Scientist, Metabolic Phenotyping (In Vitro & In Vivo)

Our Mission

Our mission is to restore cell health and resilience through cell rejuvenation to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.

For more information, see our website at altoslabs.com.

Our Value

Our Single Altos Value: Everyone Owns Achieving Our Inspiring Mission.

Diversity at Altos

Altos Labs has been named one of the Top 3 Biotech Companies and ranked for the second year on the Forbes 2026 Best Startups in America list.  At Altos, exceptional scientists and industry leaders from around the world work together to advance a shared mission. Our intentional focus is on Belonging, so that all employees know that they are valued for their unique perspectives. We are all accountable for sustaining a diverse and inclusive environment.

What You Will Contribute To Altos

You will join a discovery team investigating the role of metabolism in aging and cellular rejuvenation. You will independently plan, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret rigorous experiments across models that range from primary cell cultures to in vivo rodent systems, applying a diverse set of techniques that includes real-time measurements of cellular energetics, multi-omics sample generation, metabolic imaging, and whole-animal phenotyping. You will formulate hypotheses and take ownership of your experimental projects, drawing on guidance from senior colleagues to work through roadblocks. You will communicate findings clearly to both scientific and non-scientific colleagues, collaborate across the team, and keep the meticulous, well-organized electronic-laboratory-notebook records that make the team's data rigorous and reproducible.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and execute in vivo rodent metabolic studies in collaboration with the team, including animal handling, dosing (intraperitoneal, intravenous, oral), metabolic phenotyping (glucose- and insulin-tolerance tests, CLAMS for metabolic monitoring), and endpoint tissue collection optimized for multi-omics, bioenergetic, and histological analysis.
• Perform immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry on cultured cells and metabolic tissues (e.g., liver, adipose, muscle), and operate fluorescence, confocal, or automated high-content imaging systems to visualize lipid droplets, mitochondrial morphology, and protein localization.
• Design and execute metabolic flux assays on the Agilent Seahorse XF analyzer, and prepare cellular and tissue extracts for downstream mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics and for genomics workflows (RNA/DNA isolation, quantitative PCR).
• Analyze and interpret bioenergetic, imaging, and phenotyping data (Wave, ImageJ/FIJI, GraphPad Prism), drawing accurate conclusions that guide the next round of experiments.
• Maintain primary metabolic cell cultures and develop, optimize, and scale the throughput of cell-based assays.
• Document all work with accurate, timely records in the electronic laboratory notebook (ELN), and coordinate sample tracking and submissions with internal teams and external contract research organizations (CROs).
• Communicate results clearly through written summaries and presentations, and contribute to manuscripts and conference presentations.
• Collaborate across the discovery team to align in vitro mechanism-of-action findings with in vivo efficacy readouts.

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education and experience — one of the following:
• PhD route (Scientist I–II): PhD in molecular biology, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or a related life-sciences discipline, with a research focus in metabolism, and typically 0–2 years of relevant experience post-PhD; or
• Non-PhD route (Research Specialist): Bachelor's degree in a related life-sciences discipline, with 8+ years of relevant hands-on industry research experience in metabolism.
• Hands-on experience across both in vitro and in vivo workflows, including direct experience designing and executing in vivo rodent studies (e.g., animal handling, dosing, metabolic phenotyping, and tissue collection), with a strong background in Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol compliance.
• Experience preparing biological samples for downstream metabolomics, lipidomics, or genomics pipelines.
• Demonstrated experience with immunofluorescence/immunohistochemistry staining and fluorescence, confocal, or high-content microscopy of cells or metabolic tissue sections.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to summarize, document, and present data clearly and to maintain rigorous ELN records.
• Track record of working effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative, cross-functional team.

Preferred Qualificiations:

• In vivo rodent experience specifically in preclinical metabolic disease models (e.g., obesity, diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis [MASH], or mitochondrial dysfunction).
• Hands-on experience setting up, running, and analyzing data from Agilent Seahorse XF instruments (or equivalent extracellular-flux/respirometry platforms).
• Experience with in vitro metabolic models such as hepatocytes, adipocytes, or myotubes, and with organoid or three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture.
• Familiarity with high-content screening (HCS) platforms and automated image-analysis workflows in Python or another scripting-based approach.
• Laboratory automation, flow cytometry (fluorescence-activated cell sorting, FACS), cell line engineering, and next-generation sequencing library preparation.
• Active ALAT/LAT (laboratory animal technician) certification.

The salary range for Redwood City, CA:

• Research Specialist: $129,500 - $166,000
• Scientist I, Biological Sciences: $134,700 - $172,700
• Scientist II, Biological Sciences: $147,600 - $189,200

Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.

#LI-NN1

For UK applicants, before submitting your application:

- Please click here to read the Altos Labs EU and UK Applicant Privacy Notice (bit.ly/eu_uk_privacy_notice)
- This Privacy Notice is not a contract, express or implied and it does not set terms or conditions of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employment

We value collaboration and scientific excellence.

We believe that a culture of belonging are foundational to scientific innovation and inquiry. At Altos Labs, exceptional scientists and industry leaders from around the world work together to advance a shared mission. Our intentional focus is on Belonging, so that all employees know that they are valued for their unique perspectives. We are all accountable for sustaining an inclusive environment.

Altos Labs provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Altos prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Thank you for your interest in Altos Labs where we strive for a culture of scientific excellence, learning, and belonging.

Note: Altos Labs will not ask you to download a messaging app for an interview or outlay your own money to get started as an employee. If this sounds like your interaction with people claiming to be with Altos, it is not legitimate and has nothing to do with Altos. Learn more about a common job scam at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-spot-avoid-online-job-scams-biron-clark/