Summary
Arcadia Science is seeking PhD-level Computational Biologists to translate research-grade biological code and bioinformatics methods into robust, scalable, and openly released products. In this role, you will work closely with platform scientists and software engineers to bridge prototype scripts and user-facing tools, with primary focus areas in protein engineering, design, genetics, and phylogenomics.
Quick Overview
| Attribute | Details |
| Organization | Arcadia Science |
| Designation / Title | Computational Biologist |
| Location | Emeryville, CA (On-site; Full-time or Part-time options available) |
| Research Area | Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Protein Engineering & Design, Phylogenomics, Genetics |
| Compensation | $150,000 – $200,000 annualized (commensurate with experience; prorated for part-time) |
| Work Schedule | Open to Full-time or Part-time (Minimum 15 hrs/week with ≥5 hrs on-site for part-time) |
| Application Deadline | Rolling / Open until filled |
Research Area & Key Focus
- Primary Focus: Protein engineering and design, structure prediction, and generative biology.
- Secondary Areas: Genetics, phylogenomics, evolutionary biology pipelines, and research protocol optimization.
Location & Work Type
- Location: Emeryville, California (Arcadia Science Headquarters).
- Work Arrangement: On-site position. Open to full-time or part-time (minimum 15 hours/week, with at least 5 hours on-site during morning team strategy sessions).
Eligibility & Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- Education: Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
- Experience: Minimum of 2 years of relevant post-Ph.D. research or industry experience.
- Technical Skills: Strong capability to write production-quality, testable, and maintainable code (beyond exploratory Jupyter notebooks).
- Track Record: Proven history of developing open-source tools, pipelines, or software adopted by other researchers.
Desirable / “Nice to Have” Skills:
- Familiarity with modern structural biology and protein design models (e.g., AlphaFold, ESMFold, RFdiffusion).
- Experience collaborating with software engineers using standard engineering practices (shared repositories, code reviews, CI/CD, unit testing).
- Familiarity using agentic coding and AI-assisted tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) with an eye for quality and maintainability.
- Direct experience shepherding a research prototype to a fully released, user-facing product.
Job Description & Responsibilities
- Project Leadership: Lead and contribute to computational efforts spanning protein engineering/design, phylogenetic workflows, and optimization of experimental protocols.
- Bridge Science & Engineering: Translate exploratory prototypes and analysis scripts into production-ready, standardized bioinformatics tools.
- Scalability & Rigor: Build pipelines that scale efficiently and develop quantitative workflows to test the statistical rigor and validity of biological outputs.
- Product Definition: Help define usability requirements for computational tools, including I/O interfaces, edge cases, and user workflows.
- Technical Communication: Articulate engineering and scientific trade-offs clearly between wet-lab scientists, bioinformaticians, and software engineers.
How to Apply
- Visit the official application page: Arcadia Science Job Application.
- Submit your Resume/CV, Cover Letter, and GitHub profile/portfolio.
- Complete the online questionnaire, which includes short-answer prompts on:
- A link and 3–5 sentence overview of a publicly available computational project you developed.
- How you would approach a past bioinformatics project differently today using modern tools/models.
- A concrete example of how AI tooling has impacted your day-to-day workflow.
- Hiring Process: Review of submitted materials $\rightarrow$ Practical work test $\rightarrow$ In-person interviews $\rightarrow$ Background/reference check.
Last Date to Apply
- Open until filled (Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; early application is encouraged).
