Senior Scientist, High Throughput Biology (Contract) New South San Francisco, California, United States

Xaira Therapeutics, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Xaira Therapeutics, Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a Senior Scientist for a ~9-month contract to lead the design and execution of high-throughput biology experiments in drug discovery.

You will apply functional genomics and synthetic biology approaches, develop HTS assays, and advance new technologies in collaboration with AI-driven protein design teams. The role requires deep lab expertise, strong communication, and a track record in molecular biology, flow cytometry, and data

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Functional Genomics, or a related field.
• 4+ years of postdoctoral or industry experience.
• Proficiency with molecular biology techniques, complex library construction, flow cytometry, and cell line engineering.
• Experience with pooled screening and NGS-based readouts, including library preparation and sequencing QC.
• Experience with high-throughput antibody display technologies, including yeast, phage, or mammalian display, is a plus.
• Familiarity with single-cell genomics workflows (e.g., scRNA-seq, barcoded or multiplexed assays) is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex experimental issues independently and to guide others through them.
• Strong data analysis capabilities, including proficiency with visualization and statistical software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, R, Python).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of biochemical, molecular, and cell-based assays to support high-throughput screening platform development.
• Scale high-throughput screening strategies for binder discovery in mammalian systems.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies and experimental workflows to strengthen discovery capabilities, and make recommendations on their adoption.
• Develop and optimize automated workflows, ensuring data quality, reproducibility, and process efficiency.
• Partner with drug discovery, computational biology, and AI-based protein design teams to analyze, interpret, and share insights from screening data.
• Independently manage multiple projects, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality data and alignment with team goals.
• Maintain accurate records of experiments, protocols, and findings, and contribute to internal and external scientific presentations.

Skills

Data analysis

GraphPad Prism

R

Python

Troubleshooting

Education

Ph.D. in Immunology / Molecular Biology / Cell Biology / Biochemistry / Functional Genomics

Tools

Flow cytometry

NGS

Yeast display

Phage display

Mammalian display

Job description

Senior Scientist, High Throughput Biology (Contract)

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About the Role

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Scientist to join our team at Xaira Therapeutics on a contract basis. In this role, you will lead the design and execution of innovative experiments that accelerate our drug discovery and development efforts, applying functional genomics and synthetic biology approaches, developing high-throughput screens, and driving new technology initiatives. The successful candidate will bring deep technical expertise and strong laboratory skills, communicate effectively in writing and in person, and work productively in a collaborative, cross-functional environment. You will also mentor junior scientists and stay current with the relevant literature and emerging technologies in the field.

This is a contract position with an anticipated duration of approximately 9 months.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of biochemical, molecular, and cell-based assays to support high-throughput screening platform development.
• Scale high-throughput screening strategies for binder discovery in mammalian systems.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies and experimental workflows to strengthen discovery capabilities, and make recommendations on their adoption.
• Develop and optimize automated workflows, ensuring data quality, reproducibility, and process efficiency.
• Partner with drug discovery, computational biology, and AI-based protein design teams to analyze, interpret, and share insights from screening data.
• Independently manage multiple projects, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality data and alignment with team goals.
• Maintain accurate records of experiments, protocols, and findings, and contribute to internal and external scientific presentations.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Functional Genomics, or a related field, with 4+ years of postdoctoral or industry experience.
• Candidates with fewer years of experience are encouraged to apply and the title can be adjusted accordingly.
• Proficiency with molecular biology techniques, complex library construction, flow cytometry, and cell line engineering.
• Experience with pooled screening and NGS-based readouts, including library preparation and sequencing QC.
• Experience with high-throughput antibody display technologies, including yeast, phage, or mammalian display, is a plus.
• Familiarity with single-cell genomics workflows (e.g., scRNA-seq, barcoded or multiplexed assays) is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex experimental issues independently and to guide others through them.
• Strong data analysis capabilities, including proficiency with visualization and statistical software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, R, Python).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the