Senior Scientist, Lab Automation

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com

Job Function:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Biological Research

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description:

We are searching for the best talent for our Senior Scientist, Lab Automation position, to be located in Spring House, PA.

About Innovative Medicine

Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.

Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.

Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine

Purpose: The Senior Scientist, Lab Automation will drive the development, implementation, and optimization of advanced laboratory automation systems to accelerate early drug discovery. This role requires hands-on expertise in integrating hardware and software solutions, designing high-throughput workflows, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to realize the "lab of the future." The ideal candidate will be actively executing assays on automation systems and translating vision into action.

You will be responsible for:

Automation System Design & Integration

• Design, implement, and optimize laboratory automation systems for high-throughput screening and compound profiling.
• Integrate automation platforms such as HighRes, Beckman, Agilent, and scheduling software (e.g., Thermo Scientific Momentum, Cellario) into seamless workflows.
• Ensure robust sample tracking, liquid handler QC, and data analysis.
• Collaborate with informatics and data science teams for robust data capture, metadata management, and analysis.

Automation Assay Development & Process Optimization

• Adapt novel assays for automation, including assays utilizing phenotypic, multi-omic, and genetic technologies.
• Rapidly troubleshoot and refine production assays, ensuring minimal downtime and high data quality.
• Execute assays on automation systems day-to-day, partnering with scientific teams to harmonize globally to deliver data at scale.

Innovation & AI/ML Integration

• Drive adoption of AI/ML-enabled automation platforms for intelligent assay iteration and predictive analytics.
• Collaborate on the integration of AI-driven decision-making modules for compound routing and workflow optimization.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with vendors to evaluate and implement automation hardware and software solutions.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to align automation capabilities with discovery goals and operational needs.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• A degree in Biological Sciences, Engineering, or a related field is required.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, 5 years with a Master’s degree, or 0–3 years with a PhD in laboratory automation and high‑throughput screening, preferably within early drug discovery.
• Demonstrated experience with automation platforms (HighRes, Beckman, Agilent), scheduling software (Cellario required), and automation system integration is required.
• Experience in integrating AI/ML with automation is required.
• Proficiency in coding/scripting for automation workflows (e.g., Python, R, or similar) is required.
• Experience with sample tracking, liquid handler QC, and data analysis is required.
• Proven ability to collaborate across scientific and technical disciplines is required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products is required.
• Experience with tip-based liquid handlers (programming, testing, and troubleshooting) is preferred.
• IT/networking knowledge to facilitate data workflow design is preferred.
• Experience with mass spectrometry and safety assay workflows is preferred.
• Experience with Genedata Screener and Thermo Scientific Momentum is preferred.
• Strong project management skills is preferred.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers , internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

#LI-Onsite

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Accelerating, Analytical Reasoning, Clinical Data Management, Critical Thinking, Data Analysis, Data Reporting, Data Savvy, Design of Experiments (DOE), Drug Discovery Development, Issue Escalation, Molecular Diagnostics, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Product Knowledge, Research Proposals, Scientific Research, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Technologically Savvy