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Life Science Research Assistant Jobs in San Ramon, CA

You'll work side by side with engineers, product, and Life science experts to ensure that ... These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions ...

You'll work side by side with engineers, product, and Life science experts to ensure that ... These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions ...

You'll work side by side with engineers, product, and Life science experts to ensure that ... These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions ...

What We're Building At Medra, our mission is to use AI, robotics, and biology to accelerate life science research, with the ultimate goal of eradicating disease. We have been quietly building the ...

Showing results 21-40

Life Science Research Assistant information

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a life science research assistant?

To thrive as a Life Science Research Assistant, you need a solid background in biology or related sciences, laboratory techniques, and often a bachelor's degree in a life science field. Familiarity with laboratory equipment, data analysis software (such as Excel or GraphPad Prism), and sometimes certifications in laboratory safety are commonly required. Attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and effective communication help ensure accuracy and collaboration within research teams. These skills and qualifications are crucial for producing reliable research results and supporting scientific discovery.

What are some common challenges faced by life science research assistants, and how can they be overcome?

Life Science Research Assistants often encounter challenges such as managing multiple experiments simultaneously, learning to use new laboratory technologies, and maintaining accurate records under time constraints. Adapting to rapidly changing project priorities and troubleshooting unexpected results are also common. Building strong organizational skills, staying proactive in learning new techniques, and maintaining open communication with supervising scientists and team members can help overcome these challenges and contribute to the success of research projects.

What is the difference between Life Science Research Assistant vs Laboratory Technician?

AspectLife Science Research AssistantLaboratory Technician
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in biology, biochemistry, or related fieldAssociate's degree or certification in laboratory techniques
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, academic institutions, biotech companiesClinical, industrial, or research laboratories
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, research institutes, biotech firmsHospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research facilities
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

The main difference between a Life Science Research Assistant and a Laboratory Technician lies in their roles and qualifications. Research Assistants typically focus on experimental design, data analysis, and supporting research projects, often requiring a bachelor's degree. Laboratory Technicians usually handle routine lab procedures, maintenance, and sample processing, often with an associate's degree or certification. Both roles work in similar environments and are essential in advancing scientific research, but their responsibilities and educational requirements differ.

What is a life science research assistant?

Life Science Research Assistants are professionals who support scientists and researchers in conducting experiments, collecting data, and maintaining laboratory equipment in fields such as biology, biochemistry, and medicine. Their duties often include preparing samples, recording and analyzing experimental results, and ensuring laboratory compliance with safety standards. They play a vital role in helping research teams advance scientific knowledge and contribute to discoveries in health and life sciences.
What cities near San Ramon, CA are hiring for Life Science Research Assistant jobs? Cities near San Ramon, CA with the most Life Science Research Assistant job openings:
Infographic showing various Life Science Research Assistant job openings in San Ramon, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 74% Full Time, 21% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution.

AI Research Scientist

Collate

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 6 hours ago


Job description

About Collate
Collate is an AI document generation platform for life sciences. We automate paperwork with AI, helping our customers get life-saving innovations to patients years faster. Collate is an end-to-end solution, powering every step of drug, diagnostic, and medical device development-from concept to market.
Our CEO Surbhi Sarna is a former General Partner at Y Combinator. Surbhi founded nVision Medical, which developed a new method to detect ovarian cancer and was acquired by Boston Scientific. Our CTO Nate Smith is a former Visiting Partner at Y Combinator and founder of Lever. Our AI researchers, engineers, and designers have worked at Google, Nvidia, Meta, Netflix, Amazon, AirBnB, Hippocratic AI, and Grail, and 40% of our team are former founders.
We're an elite team, with $125M in funding from top investors (Redpoint, First Round Capital, CRV, Conviction, Y Combinator) and leaders in healthcare and AI. This is a rare chance to join an early-stage company with world-changing potential, experienced founders, and resources to execute at scale.
About the Role
We're looking for an AI Research Scientist to push the boundaries of how advanced AI can be applied in healthcare. You'll explore new modeling approaches, design novel architectures, and prototype capabilities that don't exist yet - always with an eye toward how they can be translated into safe, reliable, and impactful products.
This is not a pure research role. At Collate, research is directly tied to deployment. You'll work side by side with engineers, product, and Life science experts to ensure that breakthroughs in the lab become real solutions in the world.
What You'll Do
  • What You'll DoExplore new LLM prompt optimization, robustness of LLM applications and modeling approaches in machine learning, NLP, and reasoning.
  • Prototype and validate AI capabilities that expand Collate's product roadmap.
  • Collaborate with engineering, product, and design to bring research into production.
  • Develop evaluation frameworks to measure safety, reliability, and fairness.
  • Share findings with the broader AI community through publications and open collaboration.
  • Help shape the long-term research agenda at Collate.

What We're Looking For
  • Strong background in machine learning, NLP, or related fields, with publications or equivalent experience.
  • Ability to balance theoretical complexity and simplicity of maintaining and improving real world AI applications in life science.
  • Experience troubleshooting NLP performance gaps and improving applications using online and offline evaluation.
  • Experience in translation is an added bonus
  • Hands-on experience building and experimenting with deep learning models (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow).
  • Ability to bridge theory and practice - from new research ideas to real-world deployments.
  • Curiosity-driven, with a track record of pushing beyond the obvious to uncover new possibilities.
  • Motivation to apply AI research in Life sciences , where rigor, safety, and impact matter deeply.
  • Excitement to work in an early-stage environment where you help define not just the research, but the product and company direction.

Why Join Collate?
Impact: Build systems and experiences that touch real patients and providers, improving healthcare outcomes.
Ownership: Shape both our product experience and our engineering culture from the start.
Learning: Collaborate with a uniquely interdisciplinary team-AI researchers, healthcare leaders, and experienced startup builders.
Upside: Join a company early enough to have meaningful equity and career-defining impact.
The base salary range for this role is depending on experience and level (Tier 1, San Francisco)
Research Scientist: $188-215K; Senior Research Scientist: $188-275K; Staff Research Scientist: $228-310K; Principal Research Scientist: $275-350K
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.