Scientist, Mechanistic Biology

About the role

We are seeking an experienced mechanistic biologist to join our Discovery Biology Team. In this position, you will work closely with our Platform and Chemistry Teams to drive mechanistic understanding of our lead compounds and support core drug discovery efforts. This is an opportunity to help elucidate novel pharmacological mechanisms of our next-gen IPMs.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute mechanistic studies on hit compounds
• Dissect signaling pathways to map compound mechanism of action
• Interrogate protein-protein interactions
• Prepare and analyze NGS libraries
• Develop and deploy functional cell-based assays to characterize novel pharmacology

Qualifications

• BS, MS or PhD in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or related field
• Candidates without a PhD should have 5-7+ years of relevant industry experience
• Previous experience elucidating novel biology underlying small-molecule mechanism of action in a drug discovery context
• Top-notch written and oral communication skills
• Strong experience with:
• Cellular and molecular biology, including extensive experience with mammalian cell line work and associated assays, stable cell line generation (lentiviral and CRISPR-based systems), co-IP/pull-down assays, RNA-seq, global proteomics, flow cytometry, plasmid design/cloning, etc.
• Small molecule drug development campaigns (hit discovery, hit validation, dose-response studies, SAR and MOA studies)
• Mechanistic studies of cell signaling, pathway analysis, and PTM analysis
• Protein-protein interaction techniques (e.g., BRET, APEX/BioID, AlphaScreen, etc.)
• NGS library prep, sequencing, and analysis

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with PROTAC/next-gen IPM technologies
• Experience working at the interface of mechanistic biology and chemistry
• Experience working on teams that have successfully advanced research to the clinic
• Experience managing CROs

Benefits

• Strong equity incentives
• Top tier medical, dental, and vision coverage + One Medical membership
• 401(k) retirement plans
• Education and health/fitness incentive programs
• Meditation retreats—do a ten-day Vipassana retreat without counting towards vacation days
• Reading budget! We will buy you books. 📚
• Located in the MBC BioLabs at 135 Mississippi Street, an entrepreneurial hub full of the best scientists and operators the Bay Area has to offer. Our lab is a very short walk from the 22nd St Caltrain Station and a number of wonderful restaurants and cafés.