Scientist I, Protein-Protein Interactions – New Technologies

Enlaza Therapeutics; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a highly motivated Scientist I to join their New Technologies team. This role focuses on pioneering biologic drugs and requires expertise in protein-protein interactions, molecular biology, and protein engineering. The successful candidate will design and execute experiments, optimize assays, and collaborate with various research groups. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking therapies in a dynamic and supportive environment, where your skills will directly impact patient care. Join a team that values creativity and scientific rigor while working on the forefront of biotherapeutic discovery.

Benefits

401(k)

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Account

Health Insurance

Flexible Vacation

Paid Holidays

Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

Parental Leave

Vision Insurance

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline required.
• 0-2 years of related experience, including post-doctoral.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills essential.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute protein-protein interaction assays.
• Maintain and calibrate BLI instrumentation.
• Communicate findings to cross-functional teams.

Skills

Protein-Protein Interactions

Molecular Biology

Protein Engineering

Protein Production

Communication Skills

Problem-Solving Skills

Education

Ph.D. in Biology

Ph.D. in Biochemistry

Ph.D. in Biological Engineering

Tools

Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI)

ÄKTA

ELISA

SDS-PAGE

Western Blotting

Excel

Prism

Geneious

SnapGene

Job description

This range is provided by Enlaza Therapeutics. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$112,000.00/yr - $135,000.00/yr

About Enlaza Therapeutics

Enlaza Therapeutics is pioneering a disruptive new class of biologic drugs called War-Locks. Unlike traditional protein therapeutics, War-Locks are uniquely engineered to bind specifically and irreversibly to disease-related targets. We are committed to developing these innovative therapies to help patients battling cancer and other serious illnesses.

Role Description

Enlaza Therapeutics’ New Technologies team is seeking a highly motivated Scientist I with expertise in protein-protein interactions, alongside experience in molecular biology, protein engineering, and protein production. The ideal candidate is a highly motivated individual with extensive hands-on experience and a deep theoretical understanding of the quantitative characterization of antibody binding. This person will help steer the development of new therapeutic concepts and applications. The ideal candidate should:

• possess strong scientific rigor, creativity, and problem-solving skills
• be proficient in independently designing and executing experiments
• have excellent communication, documentation, and organizational skills
• be eager to expand their skill set in a fast-paced, collaborative research environment

This laboratory-focused position offers an exceptional opportunity to work with a driven team committed to excellence while interfacing directly with multiple research groups, including biotherapeutic discovery, platform engineering, protein sciences, pharmacology, and leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and interpret protein-protein interaction and kinetic binding assays using Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI)
• Serve as the subject matter expert for BLI and establish rigorous, quantitative guidelines for evaluating binding kinetics, affinity, and assay quality.
• Optimize BLI experimental conditions, including buffer systems, immobilization strategies, and analyte concentrations for robust and reproducible results
• Maintain and calibrate BLI instrumentation and help implement best practices across the team
• Utilize molecular biology and protein engineering knowledge to design novel multifunctional antibodies
• Express and purify (using affinity, ion exchange, size exclusion, and other chromatographic methods) protein candidates with high quality and purity specifications; operate lab-scale systems such as ÄKTA
• Perform routine protein analysis techniques such as ELISA, SDS-PAGE, and Western blotting
• Coordinate antibody characterization workflows, including sample submission for LC-MS, analytical SEC, and functional cell assays; analyze, organize, and present resulting data
• Lead and prioritize multiple concurrent research activities with minimal supervision
• Maintain thorough, accurate, and timely documentation of experiments in an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN), adhering to internal protocols and regulatory standards
• Clearly and effectively communicate experimental plans, progress, and findings to supervisors, cross-functional teams, and company-wide audiences through reports and presentations
• Proactively track emerging developments in protein chemistry, synthetic biology, and related disciplines, and leverage cutting-edge technologies to fuel innovation

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Biology, Biochemistry, Biological Engineering, Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, Immunology, or related scientific discipline
• Minimum of 0 - 2 years related experience; may include post-doctoral experience
• Highly collaborative with strong written and verbal communication abilities
• Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced, cross-functional team setting
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills; able to prioritize and manage multiple projects concurrently

Desired Knowledge and Experiences

• Demonstrated and extensive hands-on experience in BLI assay setup, development, execution, and data analysis
• Deep theoretical understanding of key concepts in protein-protein interactions, including affinity, kinetics, valency, selectivity, epitope mapping, thermodynamics, and binding models
• Familiarity with protein engineering techniques, including mutagenesis, affinity maturation, or humanization
• Skilled in a range of modern molecular biology techniques, including vector design, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, gel extraction, restriction cloning, Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate Assembly, and plasmid preparation
• Strong background in recombinant protein production and purification from E. coli and/or mammalian systems; familiarity with laboratory-scale purification chromatography platforms such as ÄKTA
• Competent in data analysis and interpretation using tools like Excel, Prism, JMP, Geneious, SnapGene, PyMOL, and Benchling; familiarity with MOE and FlowJo is a plus
• Experienced in standard protein characterization methods such as ELISA, SDS-PAGE, and Western blotting
• Familiarity with LC-MS-based characterization and analytical SEC
• Prior exposure to engineered protein binders (e.g., antibodies, nanobodies/VHHs, DARPins)

Compensation:

In addition to a competitive compensation package with stock options, the company also offers a comprehensive benefits package for our employees and their families, which includes medical, dental, vision, and supplemental disability insurance.

Job Type:

Full-time

Supplemental Pay Types:

• 401(k)
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Flexible vacation
• Paid holidays
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Entry level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Research, Analyst, and Information Technology

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