Research Associate/Sr. Research Associate, Biochemistry Discovery Biology

Who are we?

Frontier Medicines, located in South San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA, is a precision medicine company that has pioneered a powerful discovery and development platform designed to generate medicines against disease-causing proteins previously considered undruggable. We are deploying our technologies in chemoproteomics, covalent drug discovery, and machine learning to develop a pipeline of groundbreaking medicines against the most important drivers of disease. Frontier has been recognized as a Fierce 15 company and a C&EN Start-Up to Watch. Our lead program targets both the active and inactive forms of KRASG12C, a validated driver in a number of cancers that until recently has been undruggable. Our pipeline embodies our vision of boldly advancing science to defeat disease, starting with cancer.

For more information, please visit www.frontiermeds.com. Follow Frontier Medicines on LinkedIn.

What's in it for you?

Frontier Medicines is seeking an energetic, creative, and enthusiastic biochemist or enzymologist to fill the position of Research Associate/Senior Research Associate in the Discovery Biology group. As a key member of the Discovery Biology group, the successful candidate will be responsible for supporting multiple innovative drug discovery projects, by executing and troubleshooting in vitro biochemical assays to characterize small ligand interactions with key protein targets. This role functions in close collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of biology, biophysics, structural biology, computational, and medicinal chemistry scientists to deliver high-quality results and drive small molecule drug discovery. The successful candidate will have regular opportunities to participate in project teams and implement new biochemical assays to screen and characterize protein-small molecule and protein-protein interactions. The position will report to the Executive Director of Discovery Biology and will be located in South San Francisco office.

What will you be doing?

• As a member of the discovery Biology group, execute and analyze biophysics-based assays to identify, validate and fully characterize small molecule ligands and novel protein targets.
• Evaluate small molecules for interaction and pursue mode of action studies in multiple and orthogonal in vitro biochemical assay formats. Analyze and interpret data with rigor and independence.
• In collaboration with chemistry, computational, and biology teams, establish SAR to rapidly drive the hit finding, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization process.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field and help implement novel technologies for enhanced workflows and/or improved data quality.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders, present research updates at department, project team and other company meetings.
• Maintain rigorous scientific standards and a clear, detailed laboratory notebook to document all experiments and findings.
• Comply with best laboratory safety practices

How will you grow with us?

The successful candidate will learn the application of biochemistry, enzymology and biophysical techniques in the emerging field of covalent drug discovery. Participation at group and project meetings will allow you to hone your presentation and influencing skills as well as expose you to other scientific disciplines, new and different perspectives and the different phases in the drug discovery process. Together with your manager, you will set clear and stretching yearly goals and development objectives, which will be reviewed on a regular basis through frequent meetings and discussions. We welcome innovation and foster a learning environment where we expect to be challenged with new ideas and suggestions to improve how we operate.

Requirements

What are we looking for?

• BS/MS in biochemistry, or a related discipline with 0-4 years relevant industry experience
• Experience of performing biochemical assay utilizing a variety of readouts such as FI, FP, TR-FRET, AlphaScreen, AlphaLisa, HTRF, DSF
• Expertise of binding assays, steady-state and pre-steady state/stopped-flow enzyme kinetics.
• Experience in characterizing covalent compounds and handling challenging proteins
• Attention to detail and a can do attitude with excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Experience in HTS screens, Mechanistic Enzymology and Laboratory automation would be advantageous
• Flexibility to work in an environment with evolving priorities and timelines
• Strong interpersonal, written & verbal communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with CRO's would be welcomed
• A sense of fun and adventure

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Free Food & Snacks
• Wellness Resources
• Stock Option Plan