Senior Scientist I, Antibody Engineering

Department: Lab Science
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: San Mateo, CA
Workplace type: Onsite

About the role

BigHat Biosciences is seeking an exceptional individual for a Senior Scientist I role on the antibody engineering & binder generation team to serve as a program team lead of therapeutic programs with external and internal partners, driving antibody discovery, design, optimization, and characterization.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional project teams (including Data Science, AI/ML, Engineering, Protein Sciences, Automation) on the execution of rapid, iterative multi-objective optimization to identify high-value therapeutic antibodies through gold-standard assays.
• Deeply understand target biology to better design antibodies that meet our candidate profile.
• Contribute expertise in antibody engineering approaches (including humanization, liability remediation, affinity tuning, format engineering, etc) to generate and optimize novel antibodies that meet design requirements.
• Collaborate closely with BigHat leadership and other cross-functional team members to ensure a tight linkage between strategy, research, and development components.
• Lead in-depth data analysis of each design cycle to better leverage experimental and computational approaches to reach our design goals.
• Effectively and regularly communicate results to key decision makers, the broader BigHat team, and to external partners.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in biochemistry, structural biology, protein engineering, or related fields.
• 5+ years of advanced research experience in an industry setting.
• Hands-on protein engineering expertise, including structure-guided design, affinity maturation, stability/developability optimization, and rational or computational approaches to antibody engineering.
• Experience working with diverse antibody formats such as complex multispecifics, T-cell engagers, antibody fragments, antibody-drug conjugates, etc.
• Expertise in mammalian cell culture, immunoassay, molecular techniques, cell-based assays, protein expression and characterization (e.g., kinetics, SEC).
• Exceptional written, verbal, and visual communication skills. Experience presenting and communicating strategy and results to internal and external partners.
• Scientific track record and publication record.
• Strong data analysis and interpretation skills.
• Experience working with agentic software tools is a plus.

Pay

The salary estimated for this position is $160,000 - $185,000 + bonus + options + benefits. Compensation will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

About BigHat Biosciences

BigHat Biosciences designs safer, more effective biologic therapies for patients using machine learning and synthetic biology. BigHat integrates a wet lab for high-speed characterization with machine learning technologies to guide the search for better antibodies. We apply these design capabilities to develop new generations of safer and more effective treatments for patients suffering from today’s most challenging diseases. BigHat is a Series B biotech outside San Francisco with a team-oriented, inclusive, and family-friendly culture. Our broad pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered therapeutic programs span many disparate indications with high unmet need, such as cancer, inflammation, and infectious disease. BigHat has raised >$100M from top investors, including Section 32, a16z, and 8VC.