Tissue Culture Core Returnship

We are building a future where biology is solvable.
The path to new medicines is currently slow and expensive, with high failure rates, leaving millions of patients waiting for new treatment options. Our story is one of innovation: applying AI, vast datasets, and industrial scale to decode biology and accelerate the development of life-changing treatments.

Recursion’s Returnship Program
Recursion’s Returnship program, sponsored by the Women at Recursion Employee Resource Group, helps professionals who have taken a break of two or more years from the STEM industry return to the workforce. Participants work in a supportive, learning-focused environment with guidance from their teams and mentors.

Our program benefits both sides. You’ll own projects that directly advance our mission to radically decode biology and serve patients, and you’ll build experience with new, cutting-edge tools and technology. In turn, Recursion gains access to an underutilized pool of talent in Utah and benefits from the skills and experience you’ve built through your work and life.

What you’ll get

• A dedicated mentor who meets with you weekly
• Weekly seminars on workplace culture, communication, and technology
• Support from your team as you re-enter the workforce

Our program runs for sixteen weeks, from March 2027 through the end of June 2027. Depending on performance and business needs, it may lead to full-time employment. This position is primarily based at our Salt Lake City, UT headquarters, with some hybrid flexibility.

Tissue Culture Core Returnship

As the engine for Recursion's biological discovery, the Tissue Culture Core provides and maintains the high-quality cellular models that power our platform. Our diverse and collaborative team combines deep scientific expertise with industrial automation and cutting-edge technology to manage the complete cell culture lifecycle—from sourcing and expansion to rigorous quality control. Our mission is to fuel the search for novel biology and help fulfill Recursion's ultimate goal: getting better drugs to patients, faster.

As a key member of the Tissue Culture Core, you will:

• Drive Large-Scale Cell Production: Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of diverse cellular models, from thaw to cryopreservation. You will execute large-scale expansions using advanced technologies like bioreactors and multi-layer vessels to ensure a consistent, high-quality supply for the Recursion platform.
• Uphold Quality and Process Excellence: Focus on the quality and robustness of all cellular products. You will help characterize our models, optimize culture protocols, and meticulously document process data to track key metrics and drive continuous improvement in our methodologies.
• Develop Process Improvements and Implement New Technologies: While learning and executing on critical productions, you will be able to propose and implement new methodologies and technologies to drive process development and automation
• Enable a Data-Driven Platform: Be responsible for the critical delivery of both high-quality cellular materials and the precise, well-documented data that accompanies them. Your work will directly fuel the high-throughput operations of the Recursion OS and contribute to our core mission.

The Recursion Community

Cutting-edge tools matter, but our people are what set us apart. Our structure and culture are built to help you do your best work, not to feed politics or ego. We live by values that give us a real competitive advantage. They help us work better and faster without relying on burnout, and they encourage us to make leaps where others take steps. People in every role and at every level make the bold bets that move us forward.

The Returnship gives you a front-row seat to this culture. From your first week, you’ll work alongside teams who value collaboration over ego, with a mentor in your corner and real ownership of projects that matter. You won’t be on the sidelines while you ramp up.

The Experience You’ll Need

• 3+ years of work experience in a research laboratory, preferably with mammalian cell culture
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or related major.
• 2+ years break from employment
• Strong curiosity and a desire to learn, with excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Attentiveness to detail and the ability to accurately and honestly record experimental details, cell expansion details, and results.
• Enjoy working both collaboratively and independently with a team in a laboratory setting
• Thrive in environments where you’ll leverage creativity and independent thinking