Forward-Deployed Scientist

Menlo Ventures; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly competitive compensation

Culture of high velocity and ownership

Job summary

Menlo Ventures is seeking a pioneering individual for a key role in AI-driven drug discovery. You'll work at the cutting edge of research, ensuring industry partners utilize our platform effectively. The position offers a unique opportunity to advise major drug programs while collaborating with top scientists and enjoying highly competitive compensation.

The ideal candidate has a passion for science, exceptional communication skills, and thrives under pressure. Join us to make a real impact in the world of biology and medicine.

Qualifications

• Experience in academic research and drug discovery.
• Strong background in antibody engineering or computational design.
• Ability to work under pressure and execute effectively.

Responsibilities

• Become an expert in partners' scientific and therapeutic problems.
• Operate as a power user of the technology.
• Advise on important drug programs.

Skills

Ravenous curiosity

Collaboration skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Education

Academic research in drug discovery

Experience in antibody engineering or protein science

Job description

About Chai Discovery

Chai is a research lab working on AI to unlock biology. Our models design new molecules for new medicines. We are changing how biologists develop drugs, just as language models are changing how engineers write code. Our vision is a design suite for molecules, with applications across life sciences, agriculture, materials and beyond.

Our founders have been at the forefront of this field from the beginning. We are backed by Thrive, General Catalyst, OpenAI, Dimension and other tier‑one investors. We partner with global life sciences companies like Eli Lilly on deals that are transforming industry.

We are known for talent density, rigorous research and pace of execution.

About the role

We are building out our founding forward‑deployed team and looking to make a few key hires to anchor the effort. This position operates at the frontier of drug discovery and the frontier of AI research. Your mandate is to ensure that we understand everything our industry partners are trying to accomplish, and that they utilize our platform to maximum effect.

You will become an expert in our partners' scientific and therapeutic problems, and you will operate as a power user who knows all the ins and outs of our technology. You will apply your intellect, intuition and creativity to solve novel biological problems and drug targets, working with top scientists across industry and our own research team.

You'll peek into myriad drug programs, getting exposure well beyond any one drug program. You will be our eyes & ears on the ground, taking your findings back inside the building to refine our product, our models, and our approach. You will be an advisor to some of the most important drug programs of our time.

It will be a lot of fun, a lot of work, and extraordinarily rewarding.

About you

We index on ravenous curiosity, outlier aptitude and collaboration smarts. You operate with urgency, have well‑ho¬ned communication skills, and probably can't sleep if something isn't right.

We value academic research and drug discovery industry experience in antibody engineering, protein science, and computational design. We are also more than willing to bet on rising stars. Low-ego, high‑EQ, thrive under pressure and a track record of great execution is what we're looking for.

We offer

The opportunity to work at the leading edge of AI research, with world‑class people, on a mission that matters. We protect & promote a culture of high velocity and ownership. We offer highly competitive compensation.