Research Scientist, Life Sciences (Chemistry)
$300,000–$320,000 year
On-siteSan Francisco, California, United States
Job Summary
Design multi-step synthetic routes for small molecules, overseeing execution from route selection through reaction optimization, purification, and characterization via NMR, LC-MS, and HPLC. Coordinate synthesis and biological evaluation with external contract research organizations and academic partners while evaluating AI-designed molecules and proposed synthetic routes against experimental readouts. Apply medicinal chemistry principles, including SAR analysis and physicochemical property optimization, to compound design and prioritization, ensuring high-quality, well-documented data across programs. Close the loop between AI-generated hypotheses and experimental data to share findings with chemistry, AI research, and life sciences audiences.
Required Qualifications
- PhD in chemistry
- Demonstrated medicinal chemistry experience, including SAR-driven design and optimization of small molecules, with recent, sustained hands-on synthetic work
- Comfort navigating ambiguity and defining problems in a rapidly evolving research environment
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across cross-functional teams, with strong written and verbal communication skills
- Minimum education: Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience
- Required field of study: A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience
Desired Qualifications
- 5+ years of medicinal chemistry experience beyond the PhD
- Track record of advancing programs from hit identification through lead optimization
- Experience directing synthetic chemistry activities at contract research organizations
- Computational chemistry, cheminformatics, or coding skills, for example Python with RDKit or pandas for data analysis and automation
- Experience using AI or ML tools in the life sciences
- Publications and/or patents demonstrating scientific impact
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