Associate Principal Scientist, Biology

Company Overview

Atomwise is revolutionizing how drugs are discovered with AI. The Company invented the use of deep learning for structure-based drug discovery and is developing a pipeline of small-molecule drug candidates advancing into preclinical studies. The AtomNet® technology has been used to unlock more undruggable targets than any other AI drug discovery platform. Atomwise is tackling over 600 unique disease targets across 775 collaborations spanning more than 250 partners around the world. The Atomwise portfolio of joint ventures and partnerships with leading pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and emerging biotechnology companies represents a collective deal value approaching $7 billion.

To date, Atomwise has raised over $174 million from leading venture capital firms to advance its mission to make better medicines, faster.

To support its mission, further its progress in enterprise building and leverage its robust discovery engine, Atomwise is building biology and pharmacology capabilities to fully leverage its small molecule AI expertise to advance molecules for clinical development. You will work closely with Atomwise interdisciplinary teams to provide guidance on pharmacology strategy, clinical indications of interest, and other aspects of drug development.

Role Summary

Atomwise is recruiting an experienced pharmacologist to support the organization’s internal drug discovery portfolio into early-stage and late-stage development programs with a goal to design and oversee preclinical studies that will allow the robust evaluation of lead molecules and small molecule candidates. You will provide strategic and technical leadership to the teams supporting drug discovery projects from target discovery through IND-enabling studies.

This role requires excellent communication skills, in-depth knowledge of in vitro pharmacology, and hands-on experience with biochemical and cellular assays. You will work effectively with an interdisciplinary team of computational and medicinal chemists, biologists, cheminformaticians, software engineers, CROs, and program managers to define, build, and optimize our discovery programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and collaborate with project teams to develop in vitro pharmacology strategies and support Atomwise preclinical discovery programs.
• Develop pharmacology criteria for the advancement of programs from hit identification to lead optimization including key milestones/decision points and timelines, identifying risks and mitigation strategies, and study planning and execution.
• Direct the selection, validation, and analysis of quantitative biophysical, biochemical, and cellular assays to evaluate binding and function of Atomwise molecules across diverse target classes and therapeutic areas.
• Oversee the design and execution of novel in vitro, including assay development/validation and quality control, through management of CRO partners.
• Participate in the evaluation and selection of new Atomwise targets across a range of target types and therapeutic indications.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biochemistry or pharmacology plus 6+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Extensive hands-on experience building in vitro pharmacology assays (biochemical, biophysical, and cellular) in a drug discovery setting. Expertise developing quantitative plate-based assays using lab automation/liquid handlers.
• Expertise building in vitro pharmacology critical paths to support preclinical development for early discovery programs.
• Demonstrated success in the management of CROs, including evaluation/selection, setting up processes, and data management.
• Experience collaborating with medicinal chemists and project teams to build effective critical paths to drive structure-activity relationships (SAR) and selection of high-quality chemical series and development candidates.
• Demonstrated track record of clear communication, working with a multidisciplinary team, mentoring, and developing talent.

Compensation & benefits

• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience
• Stock compensation plan – you’ll be an Atomwise co-owner
• Platinum health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401k with 4% match
• Funding for professional development and conference attendance
• Flexible work schedule
• Generous parental leave
• High performance culture
• Great colleagues

Atomwise is an equal opportunity employer and strives to foster an inclusive workplace.  Our mission is to develop better medicines faster, and we know that we need a diverse team to develop medicines that serve diverse populations.  Accordingly, Atomwise does not make any employment decisions (including but not limited to, hiring, compensation, and promotions) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.

We strongly encourage people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives to apply.

*Pay range for this role is between $164,400- $170,000*