De Novo Protein Design Scientist (ML/AI)

AeroVironment, Inc.; Upper Valley Trailer Court (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental & Vision

401(k) with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in California seeks a Computational Protein Engineer to lead de novo design and optimization of proteins for novel metal separation technologies.

You will use generative design software, machine learning on large datasets, and HPC workflows to advance performance and ownership within a collaborative research team. The role emphasizes translating computational predictions into actionable design parameters and collaborating with experimental colleagues in a growing program

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry, Biophysics, or Protein Engineering (MS with 5+ years experience may be considered).
• Experience with regression, optimization, protein language or transformer models to analyze large datasets.
• Experience using generative and physics-based models for de-novo protein design and in-silico screening.
• Strong understanding of protein structure–function relationships.
• Programming in Python and/or C++/Rust for pipeline development and custom script generation.
• Experience automating computational workflows on HPC to reduce design turnaround time.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to government facility access.

Responsibilities

• Machine Learning for Data Analysis: Analyze large protein function datasets and generate sequences with predicted improvements in performance.
• Computational Design & Generative AI: Deploy design suites (RFDiffusion, Rosetta, LigandMPNN) to create novel binding pockets for polyvalent metals.
• Structural Bioinformatics: Develop high-throughput in-silico workflows for evaluating protein scaffold quality.
• Interdisciplinary Interface: Translate predictions into design parameters and assess experimental data within design-test-learn workflows.

Skills

Regression models

Optimization

Protein language models

Transformer models

Generative models

Python

C++/Rust

High-performance computing

Education

PhD in Computational Chemistry

PhD in Biophysics

MS with 5+ years experience accepted

Tools

RFDiffusion

Rosetta

LigandMPNN

Job description

AeroVironment, Inc. in California seeks a Computational Protein Engineer to lead de novo design and optimization of proteins for novel metal separation technologies.

You will use generative design software, machine learning on large datasets, and HPC workflows to advance performance and ownership within a collaborative research team. The role emphasizes translating computational predictions into actionable design parameters and collaborating with experimental colleagues in a growing program