Principal Scientist / Associate Director, Fragment Based Screening

San Diego, CA

Our Ideal Candidate:

You are a skilled biophysical assay scientist with a passion for undruggable targets and deep expertise in fragment-based drug discovery. You thrive in a multidisciplinary team environment and are excited about making an impact in the rapidly evolving field of targeted protein degradation.

 

Responsibilities:

This is an individual contributor position which will play a key role within our Molecular Sciences department, applying gold standard and cutting-edge biophysical screening technologies to the discovery of new chemical matter in complex systems. 

  • Stay up to stay on the latest technologies, make recommendations on appropriate fragment based screening equipment, set up and maintain equipment. 
  • Assay development, optimization, and data collection for the purposes of fragment identification and validation, SAR studies, and mechanism of action studies using various assay formats. Assay types of interest include both protein-ligand and protein-protein interaction techniques, including but not limited to SPR, GCI, DSF, ASMS, MST, proximity, and enzymatic activity assays, among other biochemical and biophysical approaches.
  • May be responsible for additional external assay development and screening efforts. 
  • Work closely with chemists to rapidly advance early projects as part of a team.


Required Education:

Senior Scientist level:

  • PhD in Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a related field with 5+ years, MS with 8+ years or BS with 11+ years of relevant experience

Principal Scientist level:

  • PhD in Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a related field with 8+ years, MS with 11+ years or BS with 14+ years of relevant experience

Associate Director level:

  • PhD in Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a related field with 10+ years, MS with 13+ years or BS with 16+ years of relevant experience


Required Qualifications:

  • Deep and broad experience in developing, troubleshooting, and executing high quality biochemical and biophysical screens in multiple formats (including SPR, GCI, ASMS, MST, DSF, AlphaScreen, HTRF etc)
  • Ability to use typical lab automation equipment including dispensers, multimode plate readers, etc.
  • Ability to optimize and miniaturize assays to enable HTS.
  • High proficiency with LIMS platforms and analytical software including Prism, Microsoft Excel, etc.
  • Demonstrated experience in advancing small molecule discovery projects through lead identification and optimization as part of a multidisciplinary team


Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience working in the targeted protein degradation field or with “undruggable” targets a plus