A-Alpha Bio is an early-stage and rapidly growing drug discovery company headquartered in Seattle, WA. We are enabling the next generation of high-impact therapeutics by combining high-throughput synthetic biology to measure protein-protein interactions at scale with
state-of-the-art machine learning to predict how proteins bind. We partner with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to enable the discovery of antibodies, molecular glues, and other protein interaction-related drugs. In parallel, we use our wet-lab and computational platforms to discover and develop an internal pipeline of biologics and molecular glues to improve human health.
This role is not open to remote applicants and would require relocation to Seattle, WA.
Starting Salary Range:
$122,000 - $138,000 annually
Exemption Status:
Exempt
Location Expectations: OnsiteReporting To: Principal Scientist, Immunobiology
Role Description
At A-Alpha Bio, we’re on a mission to improve human health by unlocking the potential of protein-protein interactions – and we’re now seeking a Scientist I, Immunobiology to participate in the discovery of novel drug candidates for our therapeutic pipeline, as well as the establishment of assays for the functional characterization of our current drug candidates in vitro.
- As a cellularimmunologist, you’llwork with various primary and transformed cell lines, including human PBMC, mouse splenocytes, and reporter cell lines.
- As a bench scientist, you’llutilize flow cytometry, RNAseq, ELISAs, and common immunological assays to determine functional impacts of our drug candidates.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop new in vitro assays to evaluate potency/selectivity of biologic candidates.
- Establish workflows for the generation and analysis of RNAseq datasets to enable high-dimensional and immune phenotyping in various cell types, organs, and tissues .
- Design, validate, and execute multi-parameter flow cytometry experiments.
- Independently analyze data using FlowJo, Prism, etc. and track experiments/data in electronic lab notebooks.
- Interact with external CROs for study execution and sample management.
- Present experimental findings at group meetings to support program-level, data-driven decisions.
- Actively participate in cross-functional teams, providing immunobiology strategic guidance to the greater department.
- Assist with the preparation of scientific publications and technical documents, including external presentations, manuscripts, and regulatory filings.
- Apply scientific rigor to all aspects of the job, including experimental design, execution, analysis, and interpretation.
- Contribute to a strong and creative team culture with a clear understanding of project timelines, deliverables, and priorities.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Experience
Required
- PhD in a relevant field; Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 8+ years of relevant laboratory experience, including 4+ years of specialized immunobiology experience in the biotechnology industry; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Expertise in high-parameter flow cytometry, immune cell isolation, immunological phenotyping, and cell-based functional assays.
- Expertise with ELISAs and similar multi-analyte quantification assays.
- Experience with the generation and analysis of RNA-seq data.
- Experience with in vivo tumor models and with ex vivo analysis of mouse models.
- Expertise in isolation of mouse primary immune cells, mouse cell culture, and execution of in vitro assays with mouse splenocytes.
- Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to interact with groups in a dynamic startup team environment.
- Self-motivated with strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills and the ability to recognize project timelines, priorities, and deliverables.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to foster a fun, open, and collaborative team environment.
Preferred
- Experience with LIMS/ELN software, preferably Benchling.
- Proficiency in biolayer interferometry assays utilizing Octet/Gator BLI systems.
- Experience working with innate immune cells.
- Experience with pharmacokinetic and toxicology analysis.
We offer competitive compensation, including benefits, flexible time off, and equity in a fast-growing start-up. Applicants must have legal authorization to work in the United States. At this time, A-Alpha Bio is unable to offer visa sponsorship in any form.
About A-Alpha Bio
A-Alpha Bio is a biotechnology company that leverages synthetic biology and machine learning to measure, predict, and engineer protein-protein interactions. Our AlphaSeq platform applies synthetic biology to experimentally measure millions of protein interaction affinities simultaneously. Protein binding data is incorporated into our AlphaBind platform to train machine learning models that predict binding from sequence. We use both platforms to discover and optimize high-impact therapeutics for our pipeline and in partnership with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.In 2018, A-Alpha Bio spun out of the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design and Center for Synthetic Biology – both communities filled with brilliant and highly entrepreneurial scientists.
Since the company’s inception, we have focused on an oncology-centered internal pipeline along with pharma and biotech partnerships to collaboratively train predictive machine learning models and discover and optimize drugs for therapeutic areas ranging from infectious disease to neurodegeneration. New members of the team should expect a fast-paced, highly dynamic, and interdisciplinary work environment. We are building a diverse, meritocratic, and supportive team that shares our values of speaking the truth, shooting for the moon, taking the reins, playing for the team, and improving the world.A-Alpha Bio is headquartered in a custom designed lab and office space in downtown Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood.
While the startup lifestyle occasionally requires grueling hours, we strongly value the need for a work-life balance. We are fortunate to be situated in a region that is renowned for its premier outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, kayaking, sailing, and more. At A-Alpha, you’ll find many who love the outdoors, but also gamers, amateur chefs, explorers, sports fans, bakers, crafters, photographers, brewers, jetsetters, animal lovers, and artists. Whatever your passions, you belong at A-Alpha Bio!
