Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive progress. We have committed a $3.5B endowment to that work and fit the form of our support to the function it serves: grants, investments, and in-house research programs. We accept meaningful risk in the research we back and expect some of it to fail because transformative ideas are rarely the ones already proven. Our projects, and the foundation itself, operate like high-velocity startups, with a high performance bar and competitive compensation to match. We are searching for leaders who are compelled by the challenge of driving high-impact change in the way science is funded, conducted, and communicated. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming at astera.org/vision.
About PrismPrism is a program within Radial, the basic life sciences division of the Astera Institute. We are making protein motion measurable, predictable, and actionable by building open infrastructure for studying protein dynamics directly from experimental data. Function emerges from the ensemble of conformations a protein adopts and how it moves between them, and we are rebuilding the structural biology stack around that premise: data collection, modeling, representation, and interpretation. We work at the interface of experimental structural biology (crystallography, cryo-EM), machine learning, computational biophysics, and open scientific tooling. Our team spans computational biologists, ML researchers, software engineers, and program staff, collaborating across Radial, Astera, and partner institutions.
Submit your CV and one paragraph telling us what you can contribute to Prism
We review submissions on a rolling basis
If there is a fit now or in the near future, we will reach out
We will only respond if we are interested in exploring further
Computational and data science
Diffraction data processing and structural data pipelines
Multiconformer and heterogeneity analysis from large datasets
Data standards work (mmCIF and related)
Macromolecular ensemble metrics
Machine learning research for macromolecules and biophysics
Representation learning for protein dynamics
ML on raw experimental data rather than processed structures
3D vision and geometric deep learning backgrounds especially welcome
Dataset generation and open release
Designing and running campaigns to generate large structural datasets
Partnering with external collaborators to open and standardize existing datasets
Bridging experimental facilities, data producers, and the open-science community
Software and infrastructure engineering
Scientific data infrastructure, pipelines, and tooling
Open-source release engineering, reproducibility, and developer experience
Program and operations
Program management, scientific coordination, communications
Open-science publishing and community building
Familiarity with protein biophysics and the experimental methods that generate structural data
High agency: you identify what needs doing and move it forward without waiting for direction
Ability to drive projects and people, including collaborators outside your reporting line
Comfortable owning a problem end-to-end and unblocking collaborators
Strong commitment to open science and public-good infrastructure
Comfort working at the boundary between disciplines
Bias toward shipping, iteration, and rapid feedback
Clear written and verbal communication
Track record of independent work inside collaborative teams
Location: in-person at Astera in Emeryville, California
Astera is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation
This is not an application to a specific posted role; we will reach out only if there is a fit
The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience and location.
Benefits summary
Send your CV
Include one short paragraph: which role category, and why Prism specifically
Skills Required
- Familiarity with protein biophysics
- Ability to drive projects and people
- Strong commitment to open science
- Clear written and verbal communication
What We Do
Astera is a private foundation with a $2.5B endowment focused on steering science and technology toward an abundant future for all. They operate like a high-velocity startup, integrating neuroscience, AI, and bioengineering for AGI research.
