Protein Designer

A Bit About Us:

We are Arcadia Science, an evolutionary biology company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to turn natural innovations into real-world solutions by developing systematic and quantitative approaches to leveraging biology for therapeutics R&D. We share our research as openly as possible to accelerate discovery and make our work broadly useful.

The Opportunity:

We’re closing the gap between biological data and biological understanding. Our Validation team does this by closing the design–build–test–learn loop through lab validation across diverse organisms.  Read more about our work through our publications. 

We are seeking a Protein Designer to join our Validation team. In this role, the Protein Designer will work cross-functionally to run experimental loops aimed at validating our novel protein design tools. The scientist in this role will work to independently plan protein design projects, apply our tools and their ideas to generate proteins, and evaluate the biological function of the proteins they design both in vitro and in vivo. 

Our ideal candidate should have deep knowledge of proteins and how they function in a cellular context, as well as hands-on experience related to running design–build–test–learn loops. They are energized by evaluating novel biology, skilled at troubleshooting, and thrive in collaborative and open research environments. Enthusiasm and participation in open science is also required as we routinely share our findings via our open-source pubs.

Key Responsibilities:

Independently design, plan, and execute projects related to protein design

Coordinate and drive design-build-test-learn loops to evaluate protein design tools

Experimentally validate novel proteins in the lab (in vitro or in a cellular context)

Collaborate cross-functionally with computational and experimental scientists

Contribute to the development and improvement of analyses, tools, and methodologies related to protein design and the evaluation of novel proteins

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, bioengineering, or related field

At least 3 years post-PhD or equivalent experience in a related position

Deep understanding of protein function in the cell, biology, and structure and how these might be useful for protein design

Experience with validation, design-build-test-learn loops, or something similar

Familiarity with SOTA protein analysis and design tools (e.g., ESM, Rosetta, etc.)

Experience with protein biology, biochemistry, or cell biology to inform protein expression and purification, assay development, experimental design, etc.

Experience in at least one programming language and experience with relevant libraries

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