Senior Scientist / Associate Director, Oligonucleotide Therapeutics

The Opportunity

At the heart of insitro's strategy is to generate multi-modal phenotypic cellular data in our automated laboratories for our cell machine learning platform and utilize high content human clinical, imaging and genetic data in our clinical machine learning platform to unlock and de-risk novel therapeutic targets for drug discovery. Our drug discovery efforts span from small molecules to oligonucleotides. We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to support our growing efforts in the oligonucleotide drug discovery space. This role will report to the head of our oligonucleotide drug discovery. In this role the candidate will get an opportunity to work across targets and therapeutic areas and will be supporting oligonucleotide drug discovery and tech dev encompassing several modalities such as siRNAs, ASOs and mRNA. The ideal candidate will be working in a highly collaborative environment with our therapeutic area scientists, AI/ML scientists, and chemists, to bring transformative medicines to patients faster. You will be joining a vibrant biotech startup that has long-term stability, with significant funding, and in a high-growth phase, and you will have many opportunities to make a significant impact. You will work closely with a very talented team, learn a broad range of skills, and help shape insitro's culture, strategic direction, and outcomes. Join us, and help make a difference to patients!

This is a hybrid role based in insitro's South San Francisco headquarters, but may consider remote with occasional travel to site.

Responsibilities

• Design siRNA/ASO/mRNA for drug discovery and target validation
• Work closely with the therapeutic teams to design experiments (in-vitro/in-vivo) required for oligonucleotide drug discovery
• Analyze data from oligonucleotide drug discovery programs (in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy, in-vivo pk/pd, off-target profile, and metID data)
• Apply chemical modifications to enable oligonucleotide lead optimization SAR
• Work with AI/ML scientists to develop oligonucleotide in-silico drug design tool
• Understand target biology and come up with novel oligonucleotide based approaches to develop therapeutics
• Analyze data, prepare graphs/tables, and present data to a wide range of audiences
• Keep updated with the latest developments in the field of oligotherapy and nucleic acid drug discovery

About You

• PhD in biology, biochemistry or a relevant scientific subject area, with 2-4 years of relevant experience in the field of nucleic acid therapeutics is necessary for a Sr. Scientist role. For AD, a minimum of 4-6 years of post PhD with hands on experience of the key technical requirements is necessary
• Deep understanding of mRNA biology/regulation, RNA structure, RNA folding, and RNA chemical modifications is required
• Knowledge of siRNA/ASO/mRNA design and MOA is necessary
• Knowledge and experience with assays such as Taqman, western, Ago2 loading assay, RNAscope, RNAseq, Ribosome profiling, oligo stability assays will be highly valuable
• Understanding of oligonucleotide delivery technologies will be highly valuable
• Understanding of oligonucleotide PK/PD and IVIVC will be good to have
• Ability to multi-task and work across teams and disease areas will be needed

Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $150,000 - $200,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.

This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.

In addition, insitro also provides our employees:

• 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage (insitro pays 100% of premiums for employees on our base plans), as well as mental health and well-being support
• Open, flexible vacation policy
• Paid parental leave
• Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
• Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities
• New hire stipend for home office setup
• Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
• Access to free onsite baristas and cafe with daily lunch and breakfast
• Access to free onsite fitness center
• Commuter benefits

insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.

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