Senior Research Associate Scientist, Display Technologies

About Xaira Therapeutics Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification.

Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About The Role

As a Senior Research Associate Scientist in the Protein Engineering group, you will be a crucial member of our interdisciplinary team, comprising highly creative and talented individuals with exceptional expertise in protein characterization and engineering. This group is responsible for enabling AI drug discovery efforts and optimizing lead molecules. You will work collaboratively with protein designers, biologists, and other drug discovery team members.

We’re looking for an extraordinary library builder who can design, generate and scale complex DNA assemblies for our protein engineering and display teams. This role requires extensive experience with combinatorial, designed and naive library building with the relevant microbiological and protein level expertise to express qualify them once built. This hands-on role is best for someone who can keep NGS, protein biochemistry, and DNA assembly needs in mind when building complex libraries at speed.

About You You are an enthusiastic protein biochemist who takes pride in your bench execution skills. Your passion lies in display technology, drug discovery and developing novel treatments for patients. You are conscientious, detail-oriented, and organized.

Collaboration comes naturally to you, and you thrive in a fast-paced environment where pushing the boundaries of what is possible is the norm.

What You'Ll Do

and Learn Design and apply multiple innovative selection techniques utilizing synthetic libraries, like phage, yeast display, and mammalian display. Utilize FACS sorting, plate-based screening, and NGS to identify binders. Setup and use automation to further rank leads for affinity and function.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot protein reagents. Train and mentor junior team members, providing guidance on experimental design, data analysis, and troubleshooting.

Requirements

Interpret and present scientific findings at research meetings. Provide scientific input and propose follow-up experiments. Collaborate and communicate across diverse research teams to successfully achieve scientific goals.

Contribute to scientific publications, patents, and presentations to disseminate research findings both internally and externally.

Qualifications

Bachelor of science or master degree in Molecular Biology, Protein Biochemistry, or related fields with 5+ years of industrial experience. Hands-on experience with yeast display system and library building. Cloning complex assemblies with multi-part golden gate, gibson, and other techniques Experience with DNA synthesis CROs.

High proficiency in yeast display to protein targets, soluble and membrane. Proficiency in molecular and cell biology techniques, such as DNA extraction, PCR, enzymatic DNA treatments and library preparation QC for NGS.. Mammalian tissue culture.

Antibody engineering and discovery experience. Flow cytometry experience (both analytical and sorting). Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively present complex scientific concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.