Discovery Scientist, Protein Designer

A Bit About Us:

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms. We expect scientists at Arcadia to openly publish their research in written form as clearly and expediently as possible to accelerate feedback and progress.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a protein design expert to join our Discovery Platform team. Arcadia’s Discovery Platform is inventing new approaches to studying biology with evolution as our guide. Our tools, methods, and frameworks probe the tree of life to identify innovations, novelties, and organisms that accelerate our basic and translational research.

In this role, you’ll join a multi-disciplinary team focused on proteins. You’ll work to independently generate and execute on ideas to improve protein design, apply your ideas to new problems, and functionally evaluate the proteins you design. Your work in this role will help shape our scientific efforts at Arcadia. Enthusiasm for and participation in open science is also required as we routinely share our findings via our open-source Pubs and GitHub.

Our ideal candidate should have deep knowledge of protein biology and hands-on experience related to protein design using biological insights and computational tools. It’s not required, but a major plus if you have in-lab experience, including but not limited to protein purification, biochemical assay development, and high throughput experimental design, to complement your computational expertise. If this sounds like you, please review the responsibilities and requirements below and consider submitting your application.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently design and execute protein design projects leveraging evolution and machine learning
• Contribute to the development and improvement of analyses, tools, and methodologies related to protein design
• Work collaboratively to integrate efforts into diverse multi-disciplinary Platform efforts
• Assist in the functional and biochemical characterization of novel proteins in the lab
• Synthesize ideas, data, and findings into fully open-access pubs and engage with the scientific community to maximize impact and garner feedback that improves the work

Qualifications:

• PhD or equivalent experience in biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, computational biology, or related field
• Deep understanding of protein function, biology, and structure and how these might be useful for protein design
• Hands on experience with protein design
• Familiarity with protein language models and tools like ESM, Rosetta, and others
• In-lab experience with protein biology or biochemistry, including but not limited to protein expression and purification, assay development, experimental design, etc. (preferred)
• Proficiency in at least one programming language and experience with relevant libraries
• Expertise in statistical analysis and machine learning
• High level of autonomy and critical thinking skills
• Written and oral communication skills and a willingness to share research openly, early, and often
• Experience working with cross-functional teams with different working styles and types of expertise

Compensation:

Successful applicants can expect to be compensated between $130,000-$180,000 with benefits and a highly competitive equity offering, depending on experience level. The position will require the individual to be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should apply using the link below and include a CV, cover letter describing how they would be a bar-raiser at Arcadia, and answers to the application questions. We will review applications on a rolling basis, and the job will remain open until the position is filled. Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work. Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.