Application Scientist Live Cell Imaging Product Development

About us

CYTENA is a young and fast-growing high-tech company dedicated to the development of automated, high-precision laboratory instruments for life science research and the pharmaceutical industry. Our award-winning instruments are used in renowned academic and pharmaceutical laboratories worldwide to automate workflows across a wide range of applications, including stable cell line development, single-cell omics, high-throughput screening, and drug discovery.

Since 2019, CYTENA has been part of the BICO Group. Our mission is: At CYTENA, we make the development of modern therapies faster, safer, and more affordable. Join CYTENA as an Application Scientist (m/f/d) Live Cell Imaging Product Development and play a key role in shaping the development of innovative live-cell imaging solutions.

In this hands-on R&D role, you will bring the perspective of scientists and end users into the product development process and translate biological workflows, assay requirements, and user needs into actionable input for our software and hardware engineering teams. This position is based at our office in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany .

You will take ownership of the application workstream, establish and execute relevant cellular assays and test strategies, and work closely with interdisciplinary teams to shape how our instruments and software operate and how their performance is verified and validated. We work AI-first , with AI tools forming an integral part of our daily work for analysis, prototyping, documentation, and testing.

Responsibilities

Act as the applications expert within live-cell imaging product development projects and represent the perspective of scientists and end users throughout product and feature development. Define biological use cases, cellular assays, imaging workflows, and experimental scenarios to support product development. Independently plan, establish, optimize, and execute cell-based assays to evaluate and demonstrate the performance of instruments and software.

Translate scientific workflows and user needs into clear application requirements, workflow descriptions, use cases, and acceptance criteria. Develop and execute application-focused verification and validation activities, including test cases, biological models, data requirements, and expected outcomes. Conduct and document structured software, workflow, usability, and application testing from an end-user perspective and identify opportunities for improvement.

Work closely with software developers, hardware engineers, project management, and other interdisciplinary stakeholders throughout the development process. Provide structured and reproducible feedback on scientific, workflow, usability, and performance-related topics and support their investigation and resolution. Monitor relevant technologies, market developments, and scientific trends in live-cell imaging, drug discovery, new approach methodologies (-oids) and cell and gene therapy, and translate relevant insights into product development activities.

Maintain clear and reproducible experimental documentation and contribute to technical presentations, internal training, application materials, and customer-facing scientific content. Use AI-supported tools as part of daily work for analysis, prototyping, documentation, and testing and actively contribute to technology-driven development workflows.

Qualifications

PhD in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a closely related life-science discipline. Professional experience in biotechnology, life-science instrumentation, the pharmaceutical industry, or a comparable environment is required; at least two years of relevant professional experience is preferred . Extensive hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and cell-based assays, including experience with 3D cell models.

Hands-on experience with live-cell imaging, automated microscopy, high-content imaging, or multimode imaging platforms; experience with Incucyte®, Cytation™ , or comparable systems is an advantage. Strong practical experience in assay development, optimization, troubleshooting, and data interpretation. Experience with complex kinetic assays and/or applications involving spheroids, organoids, cell and gene therapy, immune-cell assays, or comparable advanced cellular models is an advantage.

Strong affinity for technology, scientific instrumentation, software-supported workflows, and laboratory automation, as well as the ability to translate scientific workflows into clear and actionable input for interdisciplinary development teams. Experience with instrument software, image-analysis workflows, kinetic measurements, or automated laboratory systems is an advantage.

Experience in product development, technology development, applications development, or scientific instrumentation projects is desirable. Familiarity with user requirements, use cases, acceptance criteria, verification and validation approaches, and structured testing activities is an advantage. Structured and analytical working style combined with a high degree of ownership, reliability, and a hands-on approach to experimental work and problem-solving.

Strong communication and collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively across scientific and technical disciplines. Professional proficiency in English; German language skills are an advantage.

What we offer

Being part of CYTENA means being part of something bigger, as our goal is to help shape the future of medical development. We are an emerging life-science company with multiple award-winning products and a great team characterized by fun, friendliness, collaboration, and mutual support. Agile start-up culture: We are a dynamic and internationally operating company and are proud of our flat organizational structure.

We work in an agile environment and in cross-functional teams. Flexible working: For us, it is all about results. We want our employees to be as productive and happy as possible, which is why we offer a flexible working model. Team building: Collaboration is key for us! We are open-minded, support each other, and enjoy organizing team events.

Benefits

The CYTENA team always gives its best, and we want to give something back. You can choose between three great benefits: a public transport job ticket, Givve Card, or Hansefit – your choice! On top: We offer free fruit, water and coffee, a cereal bar and other snacks, a well-connected office with a beautiful rooftop terrace, ball pit, chillout area, underground parking spaces, and much more.

Green City Freiburg: Our new and modern Green City office is located in Freiburg’s Güterbahnhof district, a vibrant new neighborhood. Situated at the gateway to the Black Forest in sunny southwest Germany, Freiburg is a green university city with a historic city center, unique charm, and a wide range of leisure and cultural activities.

Company pension scheme: The future of our employees matters to us. We offer the opportunity to participate in a direct insurance pension scheme with attractive conditions and an employer contribution above the statutory minimum through our insurance partner. The chance to make a difference: We are part of the life-science industry, and our work provides a great opportunity to contribute to the development of new medicines and treatments that can help hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

We are shaping the future! Would you like to become part of our success story? Then apply online via our application portal. Please note that, for data protection reasons, we cannot accept applications by email. At CYTENA , we don’t just accept difference, we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community.

We are an equal opportunity workplace and will always pride ourselves on being a collaborative environment. BICO leverages a global portfolio of pioneering brands fusing automation, intelligence, and data to unlock scientific discovery at scale in pharma and biotech. With 53,600+ instruments installed in over 65 countries, BICO products, software, and solutions are found in more than 3,500 laboratories, including the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies, and have been cited in over 13,000 publications.

BICO strives towards the vision to enable life-science labs to accelerate the discoveries that change lives. BICO is listed on Mid-Cap, Nasdaq Stockholm under BICO. www.bico.com #CYTENA