PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, IMMUNOBIOLOGY

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: $158,000 - $181,000 annually

Exemption Status: Exempt

Location Expectations: Onsite

Job Summary

A-Alpha Bio is seeking an experienced cellular immunologist to join our Immunobiology team working towards the advancement of our therapeutic programs. This person will be responsible for executing and managing experiments to characterize the pharmacodynamic activity of internal drug candidates, and must demonstrate expertise with in vitro cellular functional assays and ex vivo sample analysis.

Key Responsibilities

* Develop new in vitro functional assays to evaluate potency and selectivity of biologic candidates.
* Establish workflows for the generation and analysis of RNAseq datasets to enable high-dimensional and high-throughput immune phenotyping in various cell types, organs, and tissues.
* Present experimental findings at group meetings to support program-level, data-driven decisions.
* Nominate and lead therapeutic asset programs as needed.
* Actively participate in cross-functional teams and provide immunobiology strategic guidance to the greater department.
* Assist with the preparation of scientific publications and technical documents, including external presentations, manuscripts, and regulatory filings.
* Serve as direct manager of the Immunobiology team, mentoring and training junior scientific team members.
* Apply scientific rigor to all aspects of the job, including experimental design, execution, analysis, and interpretation.
* Maintain 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 and 7+ years of relevant experience; Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 14+ years of relevant laboratory experience, including 7+ years of specialized immunobiology experience in the biotechnology industry; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
* Experience as a direct people manager leading cross-functional program teams, including mentoring and developing the careers of direct reports.
* Experience with in vivo disease modeling.
* Formal immunology background.
* Expertise in flow cytometry, AlphaLISA, ELISA, RNAseq, and other common functional assay systems.
* Expertise in human and mouse primary cell immune subset isolation and stimulations.
* Expertise in immunotherapy drug development and immunoassay optimization.
* Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to interact with groups in a dynamic startup team environment.
* Excellent interpersonal skills to foster a fun, open, and collaborative team environment.
* Ability to provide therapeutic strategical insight to the department and Leadership Team.

Preferred

* Expertise in molecular biology, next-generation sequencing, and/or yeast biology.
* Proficiency in biolayer interferometry assays utilizing Octet/Gator BLI systems.
* Experience with pharmacokinetic and toxicology study design.
* Experience executing IND-enabling experimentation and drafting related regulatory documents.

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 an early-stage biotechnology company combining synthetic biology and machine learning to dramatically improve the discovery of high-impact therapeutics. We believe that abundant high-quality data is critical for understanding biology and curing disease - and synthetic biology is our catalyst. Our proprietary AlphaSeq platform uses genetically engineered cells to quantitatively measure millions of protein interactions - from which we generate high-resolution models of biology.

In 2018, we spun out of the University of Washington's Institute for Protein Design and Center for Synthetic Biology - both fantastic communities of brilliant and highly entrepreneurial scientists. Since the company's inception, we have focused on partnering with pharmaceutical companies to discover and optimize drugs for therapeutic areas ranging from infectious disease to cancer. We are growing rapidly, and new members of the team should expect a fast-paced and highly dynamic 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 brand-new combined office/lab 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 and time out of the lab/office. We are fortunate to be situated in a region that is renowned for its premier outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, kayaking, and sailing. 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.

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