Senior Research Associate / Associate Scientist, Protein Science, Antibody Platform
Lila Sciences is seeking an experienced Senior Research Associate to join our Antibody Platform team. In this role, you will play a pivotal role in building Lila's Scientific Superintelligence platform by leveraging your deep expertise in high-throughput antibody discovery, production, and characterization.
Key responsibilities include designing, optimizing, and executing high-throughput workflows for antibody expression and purification. You will drive platform evolution by identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, robustness, and scalability of antibody production. Collaboration with scientists, engineers, and automation experts to discover, evaluate, and implement novel automation tools, technologies, and reagents to expand the Antibody Platform’s capabilities is essential. Additionally, you will innovate and adapt protocols to accommodate new antibody formats, targets, and expression strategies, analyze antibody yield and binding characteristics using biolayer interferometry (BLI) and other relevant techniques, and ensure data quality, documentation, and reproducibility in all experiments.
The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or a related discipline with 2–5+ years of hands-on industry or academic experience. Proficiency with antibody expression in CHO-S, including DNA transfection, small-scale cell culture, and antibody characterization, is required, with ExpiCHO expertise strongly preferred. Experience using sequence analysis software for molecular biology workflows and annotating antibody sequences, specifically Geneious, Benchling, PipeBio, etc., is necessary. Familiarity with liquid handling automation and high-throughput formats, as well as experience with biolayer interferometry (BLI) or surface plasmon resonance (SPR) quantitative binding assays, CE-SDS, and antibody developability assays, is also required. Outstanding troubleshooting skills, adaptability, and the ability to drive innovation in experimental design are essential, along with strong communication skills and an eagerness to collaborate with a fast-paced, cross-functional team.
We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company-wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office-based employees; and a company-subsidized lunch program. The expected base salary range for this role is $80,000 - $118,000 USD per year, with the final offer reflecting your unique background, expertise, and impact.
Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed above, we encourage you to apply.