Senior Scientist, NHP Group Leader

Experience level: PhD plus postdoctoral training or equivalent industry experience (typically 5+ years post-PhD).

About Conception

Conception is pioneering the future of reproductive biology by generating functional human eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Our mission is to unlock new possibilities for fertility, reproductive health, and genetic diversity. We are building a world-class team at the intersection of stem cell biology, developmental biology, and synthetic biology to make this vision a reality.

The position

We are seeking an exceptionally strong, hands-on senior scientist to own the vision and execution of our NHP stem cell program. You will lead a small team (2–3 scientists) while staying involved at the bench. The core of this role is building and running high-quality pluripotent stem cell systems and translating them into a robust, end-to-end proof-of-concept NHP protocol to support our pre-clinical safety dataset.

NHP stem cell and directed differentiation experience is a plus, but not required. What matters most is deep iPSC expertise, strong experimental design and execution skills, and the ability to tighten variability, build reliable workflows, and mentor a team in a high-intensity startup environment.

What you’ll do

• Own the roadmap and experimental strategy for the NHP stem cell program, with clear milestones and readouts

• Develop a proof-of-concept, start-to-finish protocol from an iPSC starting point, with the eventual goal of enabling preclinical safety data supporting healthy live birth outcomes

• Drive differentiation into germline and ovarian somatic cell types, including troubleshooting, optimization, and repeatability improvements

• Lead day-to-day execution while mentoring and developing scientists, setting expectations for rigor, documentation, and pace

• Work closely with IVG and preclinical teams to coordinate experimental priorities and timelines

• Analyze and interpret data and communicate progress clearly, including sequencing-based datasets where relevant

• Build strong documentation habits, tracking systems, and SOPs that make work reliable and transferable across people and time

What we’re looking for

• PhD in Stem Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Cell Biology, Reproductive Biology, or a related field, plus postdoctoral training or equivalent industry experience

• Deep hands-on expertise in pluripotent stem cell culture (iPSC required; ESC a plus), ideally in human or other mammalian systems

• Exceptionally strong organizational and communication skills including thorough record keeping and priority-aligned executive summarization

• Extensive experience optimizing differentiation protocols and improving reproducibility and outcomes over time

• Independent at the project level– able to design, execute, and interpret complex experiments with clear, well-designed readouts.

• Strong troubleshooting instincts and ability to drive logical next steps based on data

• Experience mentoring or leading others, with the ability to set a high bar for rigor, documentation, and quality

• Strong analytical skills, including experience interpreting sequencing datasets (SmartSeq2, single-cell RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, EM-seq, or similar).

• Strong work ethic and team-first mindset. Willing to do hands-on work, including routine and repetitive tasks, and step in when needed

• Able to thrive in a high-intensity, fast-paced, flexible startup environment

Why join us

• Impact: Own one of Conception’s most critical preclinical programs, with the potential to transform human reproduction

• Ownership: Operate with autonomy in a fast-moving biotech startup and build a program end-to-end

• Growth: Lead and develop a small team and expand scope as the program scales

• Mission-driven: Work alongside passionate scientists tackling one of the most exciting frontiers in biology with a deeply aligned team

Come and work with us

We are well funded and well connected in Silicon Valley. We offer competitive pay, company equity, and excellent healthcare benefits for these positions.

‍To learn more about the original mouse proof of concept to live birth that inspired us, see https://www.nature.com/articles/nature20104

To learn more about us, our mission, and approach, you can read two features published by The New Yorker and MIT Technology Review.