Senior Scientist I, Antibody Engineering

BigHat; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Stock options

Benefits package

Job summary

BigHat Biosciences in San Mateo, CA, is seeking a Senior Scientist I to lead antibody engineering programs, coordinating cross-functional teams to drive discovery, design, optimization, and characterization of therapeutic antibodies.

The role requires a PhD with 5+ years of industry experience, hands-on protein engineering, and strong data analysis and communication skills; collaboration with leadership and external partners is key.

Qualifications

• PhD in biochemistry, structural biology, protein engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of advanced research experience in an industry setting.
• Hands-on protein engineering with structure-guided design and affinity tuning.
• Experience with diverse antibody formats (multispecifics, T-cell engagers, ADCs).
• Expertise in mammalian cell culture, immunoassay, molecular techniques and protein characterization.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication; publication track record.
• Experience presenting strategy and results to internal and external partners.
• Strong data analysis and interpretation; agentic software familiarity is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional project teams (Data Science, AI/ML, Eng, Protein Sciences) on rapid multi-objective optimization.
• Deeply understand target biology to design antibodies meeting candidate profiles.
• Contribute antibody engineering approaches to generate and optimize antibodies.
• Collaborate with leadership to link strategy, research, and development.
• Lead in-depth data analysis of design cycles leveraging experimental and computational data.
• Communicate results to decision makers and external partners.

Skills

Protein engineering

Data analysis

Communication skills

Publication record

Computational design

Team leadership

Education

Ph.D. in biochemistry/structural biology/protein engineering

Tools

Mammalian cell culture

Immunoassays

Molecular techniques

Protein expression/characterization

Job description

Senior Scientist I, Antibody Engineering

Department: Lab Science

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: San Mateo, CA

Description

The role: BigHat Biosciences is seeking an exceptional individual for a Senior Scientist I role on the antibody engineering & binder generation team to serve as a program team lead of therapeutic programs with external and internal partners, driving antibody discovery, design, optimization, and characterization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional project teams (including Data Science, AI/ML, Engineering, Protein Sciences, Automation) on the execution of rapid, iterative multi-objective optimization to identify high-value therapeutic antibodies through gold-standard assays.


• Deeply understand target biology to better design antibodies that meet our candidate profile.


• Contribute expertise in antibody engineering approaches (including humanization, liability remediation, affinity tuning, format engineering, etc) to generate and optimize novel antibodies that meet design requirements.


• Collaborate closely with BigHat leadership and other cross-functional team members to ensure a tight linkage between strategy, research, and development components.


• Lead in-depth data analysis of each design cycle to better leverage experimental and computational approaches to reach our design goals.


• Effectively and regularly communicate results to key decision makers, the broader BigHat team, and to external partners.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

• Ph.D. in biochemistry, structural biology, protein engineering, or related fields.


• 5+ years of advanced research experience in an industry setting.


• Hands-on protein engineering expertise, including structure-guided design, affinity maturation, stability/developability optimization, and rational or computational approaches to antibody engineering.


• Experience working with diverse antibody formats such as complex multispecifics, T-cell engagers, antibody fragments, antibody-drug conjugates, etc.


• Expertise in mammalian cell culture, immunoassay, molecular techniques, cell-based assays, protein expression and characterization (e.g., kinetics, SEC).


• Exceptional written, verbal, and visual communication skills.


• Experience presenting and communicating strategy and results to internal and external partners.


• Scientific track record and publication record.


• Strong data analysis and interpretation skills. Experience working with agentic software tools is a plus.

Total Rewards

The salary estimated for this position is $160,000 - $185,000 + bonus + options + benefits. Compensation will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Actual compensation will be confirmed in writing at the time of the offer.