Protein Engineer (Computational Protein Design)
Location: San Francisco Area
HireMinds is working with a new start-up team that’s seeking a highly skilled and motivated Computational Protein Engineer with expertise in DNA-Protein interactions and structural biology technologies to join. As a Protein Engineer, you balance both the computational design of DNA effector proteins and use of AI tools and hands-on protein biochemistry skillsets.
The primary focus of this position is to validate and enhance generative AI models on therapeutic targets and work with directed evolution design techniques. As a founding team member Scientist you’ll work in the lab in contributing to the development of proprietary DNA effectors. In addition you’ll be a valuable expert on protein engineering as part of this growing start-up organization.
You’ll Be Responsible For:
Protein Engineering:
- Collaborate with protein designers and machine learning scientists to develop and experimentally characterize computationally designed proteins.
- Analyze and interpret experimental data to generate insights and improve protein engineering approaches.
- Utilize internal systems for efficient and precise execution of experiments and maintain data logs.
- Interpret and present scientific findings to the team.
- Manage the protein design process, including setting goals, timelines, and planning screening campaigns.
Protein Design Strategy:
- Work closely with computational biologists and machine learning scientists to plan and optimize protein design strategies.
- Ensure seamless integration between computational and experimental platform units.
Validation Strategy:
- Scope and onboard new assays relevant to measure new functions and scale up the experimental characterization of protein designs.
- Collaborate with the screening platform team to optimize iterative validation loops in the wet lab.
Decipher The Latest Innovations:
- Maintain high scientific standards and produce publication-grade work.
- Stay up-to-date with developments in synthetic biology, computational and protein design published science and technology.
- Continued growth of your expertise in generative AI and protein/cell biology.
- Participate in knowledge-sharing activities, such as organizing and presenting at internal reading groups.
- Attend and present at relevant conferences.
You’ll Bring:
• Ph.D. degree in Protein Engineering or relevant field such as Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or Computational Biology.
• Demonstrate working history in biochemistry and structural biology to inform rational and experimental design of DNA effector proteins, including nucleases and integrases (e.g., recombinases, retrotransposons).
• Proven experience in designing DNA effector proteins, with a focus on DNA-protein binding with integrases, transposons and/or zinc fingers.
• Hands-on experience in wet lab techniques related to protein engineering, gene editing, and DNA manipulation.
• Hands-on experience with generative AI tools and computational methods for protein engineering including AlphaFold.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
Salary Range: $110,000-$140,000
Benefits packages, including health insurance, pension/401(K) contributions