Project Scientist, Open Search

Key Skills

Analytical and Problem solving, Bash scripting, Github, Python Programming, R Programming

Job Description

A Bit About Us:

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms. Scientists at Arcadia share as much of their research as possible to gather community feedback and accelerate scientific progress.

The Opportunity:

Arcadia is a combined platform company + start-up incubator. Arcadia’s translational start-up portfolio is currently focused on problems in therapeutics. We are seeking exceptional Project Scientists to join both our platform and incubator teams to carry out high-risk, early-stage research pilots. These pilots are fast-paced and will be aimed at scientifically exploring either a new start-up as part of our Translation team and/or platform development opportunities as part of our Discovery team.

To seed and incubate companies, we are leveraging our in-house research platform. Our discovery platform includes computational and experimental tools for comparative organismal analyses across the tree of life. We are developing new technologies that leverage publicly available data sets to trace evolutionary patterns at different biological scales. We use these tools to strategically pick organisms for our translational research directions, which can help point towards biological innovations or models that can accelerate therapeutic development in several internally-selected areas.

Translational Project Scientists will run rapid pilots on new ideas at the beginning of this process, with a heavy focus on computational approaches that leverage our platform tools. Our translational pilots are designed to identify unique biological solutions that may be connected to critical scientific bottlenecks in therapeutics.

Discovery Project Scientists will run rapid pilots where the goal is to prototype a computational or experimental tool that has the potential to disrupt biological discovery. Discovery Pilots drive the adoption of new technology within Arcadia.

Regardless of focus, Project Scientists across both areas will be expected to execute 4–5 pilots per year together with a team of other scientists. They should be able to shrewdly identify key risks and optimize for “failing fast” so that they may pivot quickly between different scientific areas. They should have an entrepreneurial, self-starter approach towards seeding new technological directions or companies. The ideal Project Scientist is capable of working independently but prefers to ideate and work as part of a highly collaborative and technically diversified team.

At this time, we are looking for scientists with expertise in a few priority areas, including but not limited to: phylogenomics, immunology, biochemistry, and chemistry. While we hope to bring in technical expertise in these areas, the pace and nature of this work benefits from an overall nimble, generalist mindset. Start-up experience is a major plus. Scientists at Arcadia synthesize ideas, data, and findings into fully open-access pubs and engage with the scientific community to maximize impact and garner feedback that improves the work.

Within the first month, the Project Scientist will:

• Work in coordination with current Project Scientists toward existing pilot goals
• Contribute to collaborative ideation around new pilots
• Familiarize themselves with internal platform capabilities and translation focus areas

Within 3 months, the Project Scientist will:

• Be able to pitch and lead research pilots
• Establish go/no-go decision points for pilots
• Achieve baseline computational fluency required for effective collaborations (internal training is available)
• Be prepared to quickly draft and publish iced pilots

Within the first year, the Project Scientist will:

• Have completed three or more pilot cycles
• Have contributed positively to establishing a new line of inquiry or platform development at Arcadia
• Be eligible to pitch expansion of a successful pilot effort

Education/Experience:

• PhD or equivalent experience in life sciences or related fields
• At least 1 year full-time experience in an industry outside of academia
• Basic programming experience (Python or R and bash)
• Basic knowledge of GitHub
• Strong writing skills and project management skills

Successful applicants can expect to be compensated between $125,000-$175,000 with benefits and a highly competitive equity offering, depending on experience level. The position will require the individual to be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters.

Application Process:

This is an open search, and candidates will be reviewed at a monthly basis. Applicants who require an expedited review, should send an email to ea@arcadiascience.com alongside their application to indicate this. For all applicants, send a resume and answer the questions found within the online portal.

Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work.

Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.