Scientist I/II, Machine Learning/AI Protein Design

Company Summary:

Tessera Therapeutics is an early-stage life sciences company pioneering Gene Writing, a new biotechnology designed to offer scientists and clinicians the ability to write small and large therapeutic messages into the genome, thereby curing diseases at their source. Gene Writing holds the potential to become a new category in genetic medicine, building upon recent breakthroughs in gene therapy and gene editing while eliminating important limitations in their reach, utilization, and efficacy. Tessera Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences innovation enterprise that conceives, resources, and develops first-in-category companies to transform human health and sustainability.

Position Summary:

Tessera is seeking a talented, creative, and self-motivated Protein Design Scientist to join our expanding Data Sciences team. This scientist will use computational protein modeling and design methods to support the discovery and engineering of novel gene editing technologies. This individual will also work closely with computational and bench scientists to develop and apply protein engineering strategies enabled by machine learning and deep neural networks. The position requires a strong foundation in computational biophysics and structure-based protein design. This role will contribute scientific and technical expertise to a multidisciplinary team, emphasizing conceptualization, experimentation, data analysis, presentation, and strategic planning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and apply protein modeling and design strategies to advance Tessera's Gene Writing platform.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to devise, train, refine, and deploy deep neural network models using public and proprietary sequence, structure, and function data.
• Collaborate closely with experimental scientists to realize protein designs, collect and analyze data, and build mechanistic intuition and biochemical understanding.
• Mentor junior scientists to collectively achieve team goals.
• Drive external collaborations where necessary to augment internal capabilities.
• Present scientific findings to broad audiences including senior leadership to drive decision making in program teams.

Basic Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Biophysics, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Computational Chemistry, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• 4+ years of experience in applying computational or machine learning methods to model and engineer proteins.
• Strong foundation in computational biophysics and structure-based protein design.
• Fluency in one or more programming languages, especially Python.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, ability to work with colleagues from diverse scientific backgrounds and cultures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in machine learning, especially in deep neural network models of protein evolution, structure, or function.
• Track record of success working in a fast-paced, cross-functional, and rapidly growing organization.
• Familiarity with laboratory protein engineering techniques, including library design and construction.
• Experience with recent advances in gene therapy and development of gene editing platforms as therapeutics.
• Experience in virology or mobile genetic elements a plus.