Peptide Discovery Scientist (ML‑Driven SAR)

Calico Life Sciences; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Calico Life Sciences is seeking a scientist to join our Peptide Chemistry team. You will drive peptide drug discovery projects at the nexus of medicinal chemistry and our ML platform, collaborating with ML scientists, biologists, and automation experts to explore SAR and accelerate optimization of therapeutic peptides.

This role emphasizes rapid design-make-test cycles, hands-on synthesis and characterization (LCMS, NMR, HPLC) and mentoring junior scientists.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic/Peptide Chemistry with 0–2 years in drug discovery.
• Experience in peptide hit discovery, SAR campaigns, ADMET optimization, and peptide formulation.
• Proficiency with automated synthesis and analytical techniques (LCMS, NMR, CD).
• Ability to collaborate across functional groups and mentor junior scientists.
• Willingness to work onsite 5 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead peptide discovery campaigns from hits to IND-enabling studies.
• Develop high-throughput automated peptide synthesis workflows.
• Collaborate with biology, software, automation, and pharmacology teams.
• Mentor junior scientists to foster technical excellence.
• Manage external collaborations and CROs with chemists and DMPK.

Skills

Collaboration

Mentorship

Problem-solving

Communication

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry/Peptide Chemistry

Tools

Automated synthesis

HPLC

LCMS

NMR

CD spectroscopy

Job description

Calico Life Sciences is seeking a scientist to join our Peptide Chemistry team. You will drive peptide drug discovery projects at the nexus of medicinal chemistry and our ML platform, collaborating with ML scientists, biologists, and automation experts to explore SAR and accelerate optimization of therapeutic peptides.

This role emphasizes rapid design-make-test cycles, hands-on synthesis and characterization (LCMS, NMR, HPLC) and mentoring junior scientists.