Sr Associate Scientist I or II, Medicinal Chemistry

iambic-therapeutics; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company paid healthcare

401K matching

Flexible spending accounts

Voluntary life insurance

Uncapped vacation

Job summary

Iambic Therapeutics, headquartered in San Diego, seeks a Senior Associate Scientist to join the Chemistry team. The role emphasizes hands-on organic synthesis, catalysis, and medicinal chemistry within a drug-discovery program.

You will work cross-functionally with medicinal chemists, biologists, DMPK, computation, ML, and software in a fast-paced lab setting. The position requires 5+ years of pharma/biotech synthesis experience or a relevant MS with 3+ years, with onsite work in San Diego.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemistry with 5+ years pharma/biotech experience.
• MS in Chemistry with 3+ years pharma/biotech experience.
• Strong skills in multi-step organic synthesis, reaction optimization, SAR analysis, and scientific presentation.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative research environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, synthesize, purify, and characterize chemical compounds (10 mg-5 g scale) using LCMS, HPLC, and NMR.
• Identify and optimize reaction conditions using screening kits and streamlined methodologies.
• Collaborate with the high-throughput experimentation team for parallel chemistry experiments.
• Analyze biological and ADME-PK data using cheminformatics tools.
• Partner with computational chemists to leverage ML insights for design-make-test cycles.
• Present results to project teams and senior leadership with data-driven recommendations.

Skills

BS in Chemistry

5+ years pharma/biotech

Multi-step synthesis

SAR analysis

Education

MS in Chemistry

Tools

LCMS

HPLC

NMR

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Associate Scientist to join the Chemistry team at Iambic Therapeutics headquarters in San Diego. This position offers the opportunity to work within a dynamic, cross-functional environment, collaborating closely with medicinal chemists, biologists, DMPK scientists, computational chemists, machine learning researchers, and software engineers throughout all stages of discovery, from hit identification and lead optimization through candidate selection. This is a laboratory-based Associate Scientist position that requires strong technical expertise in organic synthesis, catalysis, and medicinal chemistry, as well as hands-on experience in the drug discovery process and a demonstrated "drug hunter" mindset.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, synthesize, purify, and characterize chemical compounds (10 mg-5 g scale) using modern analytical techniques such as LCMS, HPLC, and NMR, employing both individual and automated parallel synthesis approaches.
• Identify and optimize reaction conditions using screening kits and other streamlined methodologies.
• Collaborate with the high-throughput experimentation team to ensure the successful execution of parallel chemistry experiments.
• Analyze biological and ADME-PK data using cheminformatics tools and contribute to data-driven discussions and strategic planning.
• Partner with computational chemists to leverage machine learning insights for efficient execution of the design‑make‑test cycle and platform development.
• Present results to project teams and senior leadership, clearly communicating data, implications, and recommendations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• BS in Chemistry with 5+ years experience (pharma/biotech) or MS in Chemistry with 3+ years experience (pharma/biotech).
• Proven skills in multi‑step organic synthesis, reaction optimization, SAR analysis, and scientific presentation.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative research environment.
• Availability to work onsite in San Diego.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior exposure to high-throughput experimentation.
• Familiarity with ADME-PK principles.
• 5+ years of experience contributing to drug discovery projects.
• Experience with molecular modeling and structure‑based drug design.

ABOUT IAMBIC THERAPEUTICS

Iambic is a clinical‑stage life‑science and technology company developing novel medicines using its AI‑driven discovery and development platform. Based in San Diego and founded in 2020, Iambic has assembled a world‑class team that unites pioneering AI experts and experienced drug hunters. The Iambic platform has demonstrated delivery of new drug candidates to human clinical trials with unprecedented speed and across multiple target classes and mechanisms of action. Iambic is advancing a pipeline of potential best‑in‑class and first‑in‑class clinical assets, both internally and in partnership, to address urgent unmet patient need. Learn more about the Iambic team, platform, pipeline, and partnerships at iambic.ai .

MISSION & CORE VALUES

Our mission is to deliver better medicines through innovations in AI‑based discovery technologies. The culture and work at Iambic Therapeutics are profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our people and our differences in background, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences. We are committed to building an inclusive environment where a diverse group of talented humans work together to discover therapeutics and create technologies.

PAY AND BENEFITS

We offer industry leading competitive pay, company paid healthcare, flexible spending accounts, voluntary life insurance, 401K matching, and uncapped vacation to our team. We are in a brand‑new state‑of‑the art facility in beautiful San Diego with an onsite gym, dining, and easy access to great places to live and play.