Laboratory Automation Scientist (2nd Shift)

Eurofins Professional Scientific Services (PSS) is seeking an Automation Scientist to support high-throughput, automated liquid-handling operations on a dedicated second-shift schedule at our client site in San Diego. This role is designed to significantly expand laboratory capacity by running automated systems outside of standard first-shift hours, enabling faster turnaround and roughly doubling throughput for a growing volume of complex requests.

The person in this role will independently operate, load, monitor, and maintain automated liquid-handling platforms overnight, ensuring that overflow and time-sensitive requests are processed, quality-controlled, and staged for the next step in the workflow. This is a hands-on, detail-oriented position central to keeping a large, automation-driven laboratory running around the clock.

Responsibilities

• Operate automated liquid-handling platforms (e.g., Beckman Coulter Biomek i7) to run overnight “overflow” requests that cannot be accommodated during first shift, increasing capacity for these critical activities by at least 2x.
• Support the growing number and complexity of liquid-handling requests by executing scheduled overnight runs to deliver results faster and expand daily throughput.
• Load, set up, and start additional robotic system runs as needed, and perform system set-up and cleanup activities to reduce prep time and maximize productivity during first shift.
• Perform liquid-handler quality control overnight using Artel across a large fleet of instruments (25+ including offline and online systems) to avoid delaying first-shift processes, and carry out any necessary repairs or maintenance identified in the QC reports.
• Transport sample plates to their next destination — storage, another robotic system, or a downstream instrument process — and initiate those runs when needed.
• Monitor robotic systems running through the night and provide hands-on intervention as required to troubleshoot and resolve issues, minimizing downtime and protecting sample integrity.

Maintain meticulous records of runs, QC results, maintenance, and issue resolution in client-provided systems, following good documentation practices.