Research Associate Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

A Rare Opportunity to Shape the Future of Genomics
Join a team of brilliant, passionate innovators determined to transform healthcare. At BillionToOne, we've built a category-defining, publicly traded company on Nasdaq where transparency fuels trust, collaboration drives breakthroughs, and every contribution moves the needle on our mission to make life-changing diagnostics accessible to all. We don't just aim for incremental improvements; we build products that are 10x better than anything that exists today.
Our scientists, engineers, sales executives, and visionaries are united by an unwavering commitment to changing the standard of care in prenatal and cancer diagnostics. This is where cutting-edge science meets human compassion, and every innovation you contribute helps remove the fear of the unknown from some of life's most critical medical moments.
If you're driven by purpose, energized by innovation, and ready to help shape the future of precision medicine at scale, this is where you belong.
The Research Associate position at BillionToOne is exceptionally rare at the undergraduate or early-career level. At BillionToOne, you will do much more than simply run routine protocols. Your work will have shape the development of high-impact molecular diagnostic products that are actively changing patient outcomes in both oncology and prenatal medicine. This is your chance to contribute to building novel molecular tests that help patients from day one.
You will work alongside and be mentored by scientists with interdisciplinary expertise across molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, and quantitative modeling. You will have the chance to use cutting-edge molecular techniques, next-generation sequencing, and robotic tools to move assays from research prototypes to analyzing thousands of real patient samples in our clinical lab as a commercially available product. Whether your ambition is to grow here at BillionToOne or ultimately pursue graduate studies, this position would be a solid foundation for your scientific career.
The Research Associate is an on-site position in our Menlo Park, CA office.
Who We're Looking For:

• Strong statistical and quantitative skills: You think rigorously about data. You understand the difference between signal and noise, appreciate the importance of statistical power, and bring quantitative reasoning to every problem.
• Meticulous attention to experimental detail: You understand that the quality of an experiment determines what we can learn from it. You keep rigorous records, design careful controls, and take pride in work that others can rely on and build upon.
• Ambition to make a difference now: You aren't here to punch the clock. You want to understand why things work, push the boundaries of what's known, and do what it takes to see your contributions show up in products that help real patients.

Responsibilities:

• Design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments and assays under the guidance of Senior Scientists
• Learn analytical and computational methodologies to analyze results under the guidance of Senior Scientists
• Present scientific findings both verbally at group meetings and via internal written reports
• Document experimental details and results
• Collaborate with other teams to implement lab and bioinformatic workflows
• Contribute positively to organizing and maintaining the R&D lab

Qualifications:

• BS or MS in Bioengineering, Molecular and Cell Biology, Microbiology, Biophysics, Biochemistry, or related field
• 1-2 years of research experience (either during BS/MS or afterwards)
• Previous experience with standard molecular biology techniques (in particular, extensive experience with PCR, electrophoresis, DNA purifications)
• An ability to quickly learn mathematical, analytical, and experimental concepts
• High mathematical and statistical aptitude (e.g., you find the GRE math section to be extremely easy)
• Great attention to detail

Nice-To-Haves:

• Start-up experience
• Knowledge of medical genetics
• Experience in a cell-free DNA setting
• Experience with next-generation sequencing library preparation
• Experience with computational analysis in R, Python, or other programming language

Benefits And Perks:

• Working alongside brilliant, kind, passionate and dedicated colleagues, in an empowering environment, toward a global vision, striving for a future in which transformative molecular diagnostics can help millions of patients
• Open, transparent culture that includes weekly Town Hall meetings
• The ability to indirectly or directly change the lives of hundreds of thousands patients
• Multiple medical benefit options; employee premiums paid 100% of select plans, dependents covered up to 80%
• Extremely generous Family Bonding Leave for eligible employees (16 weeks, paid at 100%)
• Supplemental fertility benefits coverage
• Retirement savings program including a 4% Company match
• Increase paid time off with increased tenure
• Latest and greatest hardware (laptop, lab equipment, facilities)
• Daily on-site lunches provided from top eateries
• A variety of perks on campus (state of the art gym, restaurant)
• Free on-site EV charging (compatible with all EVs, including Tesla)

At BillionToOne, we are proud to offer a combination of a (1) base pay range (actual amount offered is based on experience and salary/equity options split that the candidate chooses), (2) generous equity options offering, (3) corporate bonus program, on top of (4) industry leading company benefits (free healthcare options, 401k match, very generous fully paid parental leave, etc.).
For this position, we offer a total compensation package of up to $104,322 per year, including a base pay range of $75,029 - $85,748 per year.
BillionToOne is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
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BillionToOne is a next-generation molecular diagnostics company on a mission to make powerful, accurate diagnostic tests accessible to everyone. Our revolutionary QCT molecular counting technology enhances disease detection resolution by over a thousandfold using cell-free DNA,a breakthrough that has already transformed the lives of over half a million patients worldwide.
Our Impact
Unity Complete™ is the only non-invasive prenatal screen capable of assessing fetal risk for both common recessive conditions and aneuploidies from a single maternal blood sample.
Unity Confirm™ enables non-invasive confirmation for high-risk screening results through the capture of intact circulating fetal cells using BillionToOne's Fetal Cell Capture™ Technology.
Our Northstar® liquid biopsy test uniquely combines treatment selection with real-time monitoring, giving oncologists unprecedented precision in cancer care.
Our Growth
From $0 to $400M+ annualized revenue run-rate in just 6 years. In 2025, we completed one of the most successful IPOs for a medical diagnostics company, building on nearly $400M in private funding,including our $130M Series D in 2024 and backed by world-class investors including Hummingbird, Adams Street Partners, Neuberger Berman, Baillie Gifford, and Premji Invest.
Our Recognition
Forbes named us one of America's Best Startup Employers for 2025 and we're Great Place to Work certified, with 100% of our people willing to go the extra mile, even as we've scaled to over 700 employees.
Our Future
Headquartered in Menlo Park with facilities in Union City, CA, and a new lab opening in Austin, TX in 2027, we're continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible in molecular diagnostics. We're just getting started.
Ready to help us change the world, one molecule at a time? Learn more at billiontoone.com