Founding Engineer (gn) – Hardware & Bioengineering, Munich
FoodLabs · Munich, Germany
Job description
About Cellsor
Cameras digitized vision. Microphones digitized sound. Smell is the one major sense we still can't capture, measure or transmit reliably. Cellsor is building the sensor that changes that.
We replicate the mammalian olfactory epithelium outside the body – living olfactory tissue on microelectrode arrays – and read it out with machine learning. The result is a sensor that detects chemicals the way a nose does, with the breadth and sensitivity that conventional gas sensors lack. Applications span flavor and fragrance, defense and security, medical diagnostics, food quality and industrial monitoring.
We are a VC-backed Tufts University spin-out with a working proof of principle and paid industry pilots, with teams in Boston (biology) and Munich (engineering).
About the role
As our first engineer in Munich, you develop the instrument that keeps our living sensor tissue alive and samples the air it analyzes. You take it from today's lab setup to a field-ready prototype at a customer site within 18 months.
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What you will do:
Define the instrument architecture, then build prototypes across mechanics, fluidics and housing
Develop automated media exchange that keeps cells viable for weeks to months
Build the air path: sampling, filtration and controlled delivery of odorants to the sensor
Integrate sensors, pumps and controllers for monitoring and automation
Test and iterate with our Boston biology team
Contribute to grant applications
What you need to succeed
Must-have:
MSc or PhD in mechanical, biomedical or bioengineering, or a related field
Built a lab or medical device from concept to working prototype
CAD, rapid prototyping, and electronics integration
Comfortable with uncertainty: you make progress without a defined path and decide what to build next
Hands-on and self-directed – you'd rather test an idea on the bench than discuss it for a week
Fluent English; German a plus
Nice-to-have:
Cell culture, perfusion or microfluidics
Gas handling or air sampling
Startup or grant-funded R&D experience
Why join Cellsor now
Cellsor is an early-stage, VC-backed deep-tech startup, funded to focus on building. Most hardware roles mean optimizing one part of an existing product. Here you build the first instrument for a new category of sensor, and your design decisions become the foundation of the platform. The technical risk has moved from "does this work?" to "how do we build it for the field?" – which is exactly where an engineer makes the difference. As the platform grows into electrode integration, machine learning and product design, so does the scope of your role.
What we offer
Equity in Cellsor, so you share in the value you help create
The opportunity to build and lead the Munich engineering team as we grow
Real responsibility from day one, working directly with the founders and technical advisors
Lab and workspace at UnternehmerTUM, with regular exchange with our Boston team
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