Associate Scientist/Scientist I, Protein Science Developability

Lila Sciences; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 88,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Commuter benefits including bike share

Education assistance

Parental leave

Job summary

Lila Sciences is seeking an Associate Scientist/Scientist I focused on high‑throughput protein purification and analytics. You will design, optimize, and execute purification workflows using chromatography systems, develop and validate bioassays, and apply mass spectrometry to support protein characterization across Lila's autonomous laboratory platform.

You will collaborate with AI scientists, automation engineers, and cross‑functional teams to accelerate scientific workflows, ensure data

Qualifications

• MS/PhD with 4+ years of relevant experience or PhD with 0–2 years postdoc/industry experience.
• Proficiency with AKTA chromatography systems across affinity, SEC, HIC, and IEX.
• Hands-on LC-MS for protein characterization and PTM analysis.
• Experience in developing and validating bioassays (ELISA, AlphaLISA, SPR/BLI).
• Strong data interpretation, record-keeping, and collaborative skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize high-throughput protein purification workflows.
• Operate AKTA systems across diverse protein classes.
• Perform mass spectrometry analyses to confirm identity and purity.
• Develop and validate robust bioassays to assess function and quality.
• Partner with automation teams to integrate workflows into high-throughput platforms.
• Ensure data quality, documentation, and reproducibility across experiments.
• Collaborate with computational scientists to support data pipelines and predictive modeling.

Skills

Protein purification

AKTA chromatography

Mass spectrometry

Bioassay development

Data analysis

Laboratory automation

Collaborative work

Education

MS in Biochemistry/Biophysics/Bioengineering/Molecular Biology or related field

PhD in related discipline

Tools

Benchling

LC-MS instrumentation

Job description

Lila Sciences is seeking an Associate Scientist/Scientist I specializing in high-throughput protein purification and analytics. In this role, you will design, optimize, and execute protein purification workflows using chromatography systems, develop and validate bioassays, and apply mass spectrometry techniques to support protein characterization across Lila's autonomous laboratory platform. You will work at the intersection of protein sciences and laboratory automation, partnering closely with AI scientists, automation engineers, and cross-functional research teams to accelerate scientific workflows. Your expertise in protein analytics, method development, and data interpretation will directly contribute to the development of Lila's Scientific Superintelligence platform.

What You’ll Be Building

• Design, develop, and optimize high-throughput protein purification workflows using AKTA chromatography systems (affinity, ion exchange, size exclusion) across diverse protein classes (antibodies, bi-specifics, multi-specifics, enzymes, etc.).
• Perform mass spectrometry‑based analyses to confirm protein identity, assess purity, and characterize post‑translational modifications.
• Develop and validate bioassays (binding, activity, and stability) to assess protein function and quality, ensuring assay robustness and reproducibility at scale.
• Identify opportunities to improve throughput, yield, and reliability of purification and analytical methods, and drive implementation of those improvements.
• Partner with automation engineers to integrate purification, bioassays, and analytical workflows into automated workcells and high-throughput platforms.
• Ensure data quality, documentation, and reproducibility in all experiments; actively contribute to knowledge sharing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with computational scientists to support data analysis pipelines, data processing, and the development of predictive models for protein characteristics.

What You’ll Need To Succeed

• MS in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Bioengineering, Molecular Biology, or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience, or PhD in a related discipline with 0‑2 years of postdoctoral or industry experience.
• Experience operating AKTA chromatography systems for protein purification with proficiency across a wide range of chromatographic techniques (e.g. affinity, SEC, HIC, IEX, etc.), and the ability to develop, optimize, and troubleshoot purification workflows.
• Hands‑on experience in LC‑MS techniques for protein characterization, including intact mass analysis, peptide mapping, PTM identification, and glycosylation profiling, with exposure to interpretation of complex mass spectral data and troubleshooting instrument performance.
• Familiarity with assay development, optimization, and data analysis for bioassay techniques such as ELISA, AlphaLisa, SPR/BLI, and functional activity assays.
• Strong laboratory data analysis, digital record‑keeping (e.g., Benchling), and collaborative scientific workflows.
• Outstanding analytical and problem‑solving skills with meticulous attention to data quality and reproducibility.
• Effective communication skills and an eagerness to collaborate within a fast‑paced, cross‑functional team.

Bonus Points For

• Experience working with laboratory automation platforms and high-throughput screening workflows.
• Familiarity with additional protein characterization techniques such as CE‑SDS, SEC‑MALS or DSF.
• Experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Python, R, or equivalent) and automating data workflows.

Compensation

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early‑stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

Expected Base Salary Range: $88,000 USD - $144,000 USD.

Benefits

Full‑time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer‑paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program. International employees receive a benefits program tailored to their region.

About LILA

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard‑coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.

LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you don’t meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.

We’re All In

Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Sciences’ internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.