Senior Microbiology Engineer - Spore.Labs

About Us

Spore.Bio is a deeptech startup founded in 2023 that is redefining microbiological quality control in pharmaceutical, food & beverage, and cosmetics manufacturing. Where Spore.Bio deploys biophotonic and deep-learning technology on factory floors, Spore.Labs takes Spore.Bio 's core technology into new territory: from AMR detection to microbiome research and beyond.
We are building our microbiology laboratory from the ground up and are looking for someone ready to take real ownership, shape how we work, and grow alongside the department they help build.

About the Role

This is not a supporting position. From day one you will have direct ownership of several of our most technically demanding workstreams, with genuine autonomy and immediate impact on the scientific direction of the department. Your biological expertise will guide model development, validation, and interpretation within a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.

• Experimental science and strain work
  You will design, execute, and iterate the full range of microbiology workflows that underpin our platform: resistant mutant generation (selective pressure, plasmid transformation, conjugation), antimicrobial susceptibility testing (BMD, MBEC, MIC determination per EUCAST/CLSI standards), and phenotypic validation. You will manage clinical isolate intake from diverse sources and matrices, design acceptance criteria, validate storage integrity, and establish culture conditions for the full range of organisms we work with: standard aerobes, fastidious species, slow-growing anaerobes, and low-biomass communities. Where incoming samples are polymicrobial, you will develop the selective enrichment and differential isolation strategies to resolve them accurately.
  

• Biobank development and sample traceability

  You will build and own the quality control infrastructure for all strains entering the biobank: purity isolation, glycerol stock preparation, passage control, MIC verification, and traceable documentation from intake through to acquisition. You will develop and maintain the biobank database with the rigour required for future regulatory use, and design systems that scale to high-throughput sample intake without losing fidelity.

• Protocol development, documentation, and regulatory readiness
  You will write, validate, and iterate SOPs across all microbiology workflows: isolation, biobanking, AST, spectral sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, and stress and growth condition testing. Documentation should anticipate GMP/GLP requirements from the outset. You will also contribute to partner reports, scientific publications, and regulatory submissions where relevant, translating experimental findings into formats usable by non-specialist audiences.
  

• Laboratory leadership and cross-functional collaboration
  You will take ownership of consumables and reagent management, equipment maintenance scheduling, and safety compliance. As the team grows, you will take an active role in the onboarding, supervision, and development of junior engineers and technicians. You will work closely with the ML, biophotonics, and data science teams to design experimental protocols and contribute to the scientific strategy of the department.
  

About You

We are looking for someone who takes ownership, works with rigour in a fast-moving environment, and finds genuine satisfaction in building a laboratory that functions well. We value curiosity, initiative, and a growth mindset; not every box needs to be ticked to apply.

• Academic background: A PhD and postdoc in microbiology, infectious diseases, biotechnology, or a closely related discipline are required. A demonstrated publication record in peer-reviewed international journals is expected, with publications in high-impact outlets a strong plus. Patent authorship or involvement in IP generation is valued.

• Technical expertise: 3+ years of hands-on R&D experience in an applied, clinical, or industrial microbiology setting. Solid grounding in bacterial culture and AST (BMD preferred, EUCAST-aligned), with direct experience in AMR research: generating or characterising resistant mutants, interpreting resistance mechanisms, and working with clinical isolates. Familiarity with fastidious organisms, anaerobic culture, low-biomass sampling, or complex clinical matrices is a plus.

• Documentation rigour: Comfortable writing clear SOPs, maintaining traceable laboratory records, and building documentation that anticipates regulatory review.

• Analytical skills: Able to process and interpret complex experimental datasets. Excel proficiency expected; Python or R is a bonus. Familiarity with LIMS or digital traceability tools is appreciated.

• Autonomy and adaptability: Able to prioritise in an uncertain environment, manage several parallel workstreams, and communicate clearly when a decision needs escalation.

• Communication: Clear written and verbal expression in English. Comfortable synthesising results for non-specialist audiences.
  

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a core interdisciplinary team driving the development of a disruptive diagnostic technology with real global health impact

• Work at the frontier of microbiology, advanced optics, and machine learning in a team where scientific rigour is the default

• Hold genuine ownership of critical workstreams in a laboratory that is actively scaling

• Collaborate on high-visibility projects with clinical and commercial trajectory, including publications and regulatory science

• Grow into a role that expands: scientific mentorship, experimental leadership, and long-term career development in a permanent position (CDI) in Paris

Recruitment Process

• 30-min introductory call with a team member

• 45-min interview with the Lead Microbiologist

• 1-hour technical case study followed by team debrief

• Lab visit and coffee

• 1-hour interview with the Founders

• Reference calls