(Senior) Research Scientist, Protein Design

Xyme; Oxford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Xyme, an innovative startup in Oxford, seeks a Senior Research Scientist in Protein Design to drive AI-based enzyme design. You will collaborate within a dynamic team to develop cutting-edge protein design methods. Ideal candidates will have a PhD and experience in predictive modeling and AI applications.

Benefits

Support for attending conferences

Collaborative work environment

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in technical role, in agile environments.
• Experience with protein structure databases and preparation.
• Familiarity with deep learning architectures a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop predictive methods for protein design including property prediction.
• Collaborate with research scientists for AI-enhanced protein design.
• Build and evolve a resilient computational platform.

Skills

AI protein design

Protein structure prediction

Software development in Python

Strong communication skills

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science

Job description

Our mission at Xyme is to solve important societal problems by revolutionising the practice of synthetic chemistry through what we call xymes - AI-generated enzymes that can catalyse any reaction. As an innovative startup based in Oxford and Manchester, UK, we bring together interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and data specialists to push the boundaries of enzyme design. Our dynamic and collaborative work environment is fuelled by a passion for innovation. We cultivate a culture of continuous learning and improvement, where every team member can make a lasting impact on our groundbreaking research and real-world applications.

As a (Senior) Research Scientist, Protein Design you will be at the forefront of our mission to catalyse the AI-generated enzyme design revolution. You will be part of an exceptional interdisciplinary team that will drive the development and implementation of our data science and predictive modelling capabilities, in collaboration with research scientists and data/ML engineers.

This role will enable capacity building in enzyme design, property prediction and desirability metrics, which will support design prioritisation and ranking. This individual will work closely with data scientists, AI researchers and engineers to design ranking and filtering capabilities. You will combine your technical expertise with your passion for innovation, ultimately contributing to solving important societal problems.

What you will do

• Assist with development and benchmarking of predictive methods for protein design, including but not limited to property prediction and desirability.
• Enable development of protein design filtering and ranking capabilities, leveraging AI and physics-based methods.
• Enable development of a resilient, model agnostic platform and its continuous evolution, by following coding standards, best practices, and benchmarking processes.
• Collaborate closely with other research scientists on a daily basis and provide technical guidance to support the development of our protein design platform.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships by working with our technical leaders to identify, engage, and build beneficial relationships with key academic leaders in the field.
  
  

What you will bring

• A PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science or related areas.
• At least three years of work experience in a technical role, in agile fast-paced environments.
• Experience with AI protein design, protein structure and property prediction methods.
• Experience with protein structure and enzyme databases as well as with protein structure preparation and curation.
• Solid understanding of protein structure and function (e.g, protein-ligand interactions, enzymes, catalytic sites).
• Proficiency with Python and its ecosystem for software development and compute infrastructure.
• Strong communication skills, a passion to innovate and to contribute to a positive team culture and healthy work environment.
• A deep interest in our mission to revolutionise the way enzymes are designed.
  
  

Nice to have

• Experience with pre-training, refinement, fine-tuning, inference and scaling models to multi-GPU set ups and experience with method validation and benchmarking.
• Familiarity with SOTA deep learning architectures including, but not limited to, diffusion models, protein language models/transformer, GNNs.
• A strong publication track record in the field of AI protein design.
• Proficiency in Python and experience with HPC and cloud environments.
  
  

What you will get from us

• Be part of a fantastic team working together at the forefront of the field.
• Attend and present on relevant conferences and meetings.
• A supportive and collaborative culture and work environment.