Senior Computational Biologist: Protein Design

Senior Computational Biologist: Protein Design

Keywords: Computational Biochemist / Biophysicist / Protein Engineer / Deep Learning / Statistics / Protein Structures

Team:Computational Biology

Start date:2024, immediate

Period:Full time, permanent

Location:London Bioscience Innovation Centre in King’s Cross, London.This is a full-time rolewith the opportunity for fully remote or hybrid working style.

About Us

Baseimmune is a discovery stage biotechnology start-up revolutionising vaccines through advanced computational antigen design. Founded by the team that pioneered computational vaccines at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, our mission is to harness the fields of data science, machine learning and computational biology to redefine cross-protective and mutation-proof vaccines.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Computational Protein Design specialist to join our Antigen Design team. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in using deep learning methodologies, including generative AI, to designde novoprotein structures. They will be experienced in developing computational pipelines to design, analyse & validate protein structures. Further, this role requires a deep understanding of protein biochemistry in the biologics space to enable effective collaboration with wet lab scientists and immunologists to both successfully design vaccine antigens and validate their effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific Goals

• Drive the development of computational pipelines that use AI techniques to create proteins for use as vaccine antigens.
• Collaborate with laboratory teams to validate and benchmark newly implemented methodologies usingin silico,in vitroandin vivomodels.
• Apply computational based pipelines and structural expertise to design proteins presenting target epitopes in desired conformations.
• Collaborate effectively across multi-disciplinary teams, including immunologists, evolutionary biologists, molecular biologists and ML engineers to ensurede novodesigns are optimised to elicit cross-protective responses following vaccination.Analyse and interpret experimental data to advance the design process.

Strategic Goals

• Stay up to date with the latest research and developments within the field
• Critically assess advances in protein engineering and set development directions.
• Mentor and guide junior scientists and team members and create momentum within the team whilst becoming a go-to expert within your technical area.
• Contribute to scientific publications and represent Baseimmune at scientific conferences

Essential Qualifications and Skills

• Ph.D. in Structural Biology, Biophysics, Computational Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in computational protein design within an academic or industry setting.
• 1-2 years experience in post-doctoral or industry setting.
• Proven track record of successfully designing de novo proteins underpinned by state-of-the-art computational methodologies for biologics purposes.
• Extensive knowledge of statistical and deep learning methods applied to protein design, such as RFdiffusion, MPNN, AlphaFold and Rosetta.
• Experienced programming in Python and Linux command line.
• Strong mathematical skills, problem-solving abilities and strategic thinking.
• Proven track record of scientific innovation and publications in reputable journals.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

What we Offer

• Competitive starting salary
• Private medical health insurance
• Opportunities for career growth and professional development
• 26 days holiday leave + bank holidays
• Enhanced sick pay
• Pension plan

Please note that Baseimmune does not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK without requiring employer sponsorship. We encourage all eligible candidates to apply and regret that we are unable to consider candidates who require visa sponsorship currently. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion in our workplace.