Full Job Description
The Associate Director, Protein Engineering and Structural Biology, will lead a team of highly specialized scientists supporting Absci's drug-creation programs at the intersection of antibody engineering, structural biology, and AI-enabled biologics discovery. This role contributes directly to advancing internal and partnered programs while embodying Absci's values ofInnovation, Collaboration, and Determination.
Demonstrated experience leading efforts related to protein engineering and/or structural biology in programs (such as project teams, technical initiatives, or technology development). Track record of scientific and technical contributions to pipeline advancement.
Responsibilities Include:
Scientific Leadership and Collaboration
• Lead a multidisciplinary team focused on antibody engineering, structural biology, and binding characterization to support multiple internal and external drug-creation programs.
• Mentor scientists and research associates, supporting technical development, scientific excellence, and career growth.
• Partner closely with the AI team to align experimental and computational strategies supporting Absci's generative AI drug-creation platform, including collaboration on model evaluation and establishment of in-silico metrics to assess performance of de novo design and lead optimization efforts.
• Serve as the protein engineering lead on cross-functional project teams, partnering with computational biology, analytical development and translational teams to coordinate experiments and maintain alignment on timelines, resources and objectives.
• Regularly summarize and present data to internal and external stakeholders to support informed decision-making to advance programs.
• Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and the competitive landscape in biologics discovery.
Research and Innovation:
• Lead efforts to develop and optimize platforms for mAb and multispecific therapeutics, from design to production, testing, and evaluation.
• Rationally design molecules, perform antigen/antibody structural analyses to recommend residue-level changes that improve interaction function, specificity, stability, and manufacturability.
• Design and implement binding and biophysical assays to assess the mutation impacts on protein structure and function.
• Coordinate closely with Absci teams to ensure high-quality protein expression, purification, and biophysical characterization of complex biologics and antigens.
• Partner with Translational biology teams to provide mechanistic insight into target biology and antibody-target interactions, supporting target assessment and MOA understanding.
Profile for Success:
• PhD in life sciences with 8+ years of experience (including 5+ years in biopharma or biotech) or MS with equivalent experience.
• Proficiency in protein structure-function analysis and computational modeling (e.g., Schrödinger, MOE, Rosetta), with hands-on experience designing and optimizing bispecific and multispecific antibodies.
• Deep understanding of antibody structure-function relationships, sequence optimization, and expression/purification workflows.
• Experience in binding and interaction analyses (e.g., BLI, SPR) and/or biophysical characterization techniques (e.g., analytical SEC, DSF, DLS).
• Familiarity with Fc engineering, half-life extension strategies, antibody developability, and immunogenicity assessment.
• Experience in deploying AI/ML models for protein sequence and structure analysis to enable biologics design and optimization is a plus.
• Demonstrated success progressing one or more biologics programs to lead candidate stage.
• Experience managing teams of PhD-level scientists and research associates.
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications and/or patent filings.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Legal authorization to work in the United States is required.
