Senior Principal Research Scientist, Computational Chemistry

IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); In loco; USD 196.000 - 242.000; Tempo pieno

Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k)

Stock option awards

Descrizione del lavoro

IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. is looking for a Senior Principal Research Scientist in Computational Chemistry in South San Francisco, CA. This role involves leading drug design efforts and mentoring while applying computational methods to influence project outcomes.

Working in a collaborative environment, you will be integral to discovery programs aimed at developing tailored cancer therapies. The position offers a competitive salary range of $196,000–$242,000 along with comprehensive benefits.

Competenze

• 9+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Expertise in structure-, ligand-, and fragment-based drug discovery.
• Strong understanding of medicinal chemistry principles.

Mansioni

• Lead structure-based drug design meetings with medicinal chemists.
• Contribute to programs from target identification through lead optimization.
• Translate computational analyses into actionable compound design recommendations.

Conoscenze

Computational Chemistry

Drug Discovery

Medicinal Chemistry

Machine Learning

Data Analysis

Formazione

PhD in Computational Chemistry or a related discipline

Strumenti

Schrödinger modeling software

MOE

OpenEye

Descrizione del lavoro

About IDEAYA Biosciences

IDEAYA is a precision medicine oncology company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of transformative therapies for cancer. Our approach integrates expertise in small‑molecule drug discovery, structural biology and bioinformatics with robust internal capabilities in identifying and validating translational biomarkers to develop tailored, potentially first‑in‑class targeted therapies aligned to the genetic drivers of disease. We have built a deep pipeline of product candidates focused on synthetic lethality and antibody‑drug conjugates, or ADCs, for molecularly defined solid tumor indications. Our mission is to bring forth the next wave of precision oncology therapies that are more selective, more effective, and deeply personalized with the goal of altering the course of disease and improving clinical outcomes for patients with cancer.

Location

South San Francisco, CA.

Position Summary

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Principal Research Scientist in Computational Chemistry with significant pharmaceutical industry experience to join our multidisciplinary small molecule drug discovery organization. This senior individual‑contributor role requires a high degree of independence, technical depth, and scientific judgment. The successful candidate will support discovery project teams across target identification, hit discovery, lead optimization, and drug candidate selection, and is expected to be onsite four days per week. Reporting to the Director & Head of Computational Chemistry.

What You’ll Do

• Lead structure‑based drug design meetings with medicinal chemists and provide senior‑level, hands‑on drug design and computational chemistry support to small molecule drug discovery project teams
• Contribute to programs from target identification through lead optimization and drug candidate selection
• Apply structure‑, ligand‑, and fragment‑based modeling to guide medicinal chemistry design
• Use molecular dynamics, free energy methods, quantum chemistry, and cheminformatics to address complex design and prioritization questions
• Translate computational analyses into clear, actionable compound design recommendations
• Serve as a highly experienced computational contributor and scientific advisor within project teams
• Mentor and coach other scientists in structure‑based drug design through technical guidance and scientific discussion
• Evaluate new computational methods, tools, and workflows and apply them when they add clear value
• Maintain scientific rigor, reproducibility, and best practices in an industry drug discovery environment

Requirements

• PhD in Computational Chemistry or a related discipline with 9+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience
• Strong understanding of small‑molecule drug discovery and medicinal chemistry principles
• Demonstrated expertise in structure‑, ligand‑, and fragment‑based drug discovery
• Expertise in free energy perturbation, molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics, cheminformatics, and ligand affinity estimation methods
• Proven ability to independently deliver computational work that influences medicinal chemistry decisions and project outcomes
• Ability to manage priorities across multiple discovery programs
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Experience applying machine learning or AI methods to molecular design, property prediction, or compound prioritization
• Experience with Schrödinger modeling software and others (e.g., MOE, OpenEye)
• Programming, scripting, statistics, and data analysis experience applied to drug discovery
• Experience working on challenging target classes, including protein‑protein interactions and allosteric pockets
• Track record of contributing to discovery programs that advance high‑quality small‑molecule drug candidates

Benefits and Compensation

IDEAYA offers a competitive total rewards package that reflects our pay‑for‑performance philosophy. The salary range for this role is $196,000–$242,000, contingent on experience and other factors. Additional benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage (100% company‑paid for employees, 90% for dependents), 401(k), ESPP, wellness programs, and merit‑based salary increases, short‑term incentive plan participation, and stock option awards.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Company complies with all laws respecting equal employment opportunities and does not discriminate against applicants with regard to any protected characteristic as defined by federal, state, and local law. IDEAYA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact [e-mail].

Workplace Requirements

All employees working in IDEAYA facilities must be fully vaccinated against COVID‑19, except where exempt by applicable law. Remote work is available for one day per week.

Contact

External agencies and recruiters may contact [e-mail].