Meliora Therapeutics, Inc. Data Scientist - Computational Biology Remote · Full time

Apply for Data Scientist - Computational Biology

Biotech is on the verge of a revolution. Breakthroughs such as the advent of CRISPR and systems for fast and efficient multi-omic sequencing in combination with structural advances in machine learning are unleashing the ability to interrogate human biology in unprecedented ways.

Meliora Therapeutics’ vision is to bring the latest advancements in molecular biology and machine learning together to fight cancer. By building a world class, diverse, multidisciplinary team we will build the first true multi-omics target discovery and development platform, enabling us to develop new therapies that significantly improve clinical outcomes. The founding team includes CEO David Li (1st business hire at Benchling, GS, KKR, Penn Life Sciences and Management), Dr. Jason Sheltzer (Faculty at Yale School of Medicine, Presidential Early Career Award, Forbes 30u30), Joan Smith (Sr. Staff engineer at Google, MIT Physics), and Zach Owen (Data Scientist Tech Lead at Verily, previous ML startup technical co-founder, MIT PhD).  We are backed by leading funds including BrightEdge, VillageGlobal, HOF Capital, Obvious and others.

A key initial goal of Meliora Therapeutics’ computational engine is to develop a robust, multi-modal MOA atlas for cancer drugs. This atlas will consist of 21st century phenotypic “molecular fingerprints” of different mechanisms of action, and will serve as a reference library that can be used to characterize new molecules of interest. Our platform has already surfaced a number of interesting candidate drugs with promising laboratory validation and we are looking for world class talent to expand and deepen the capabilities of this advanced computational engine using the latest ML approaches, making an impact on cancer in the process.

The computational biologist will work collaboratively with data science team members providing expertise in computational biology, playing an important role in developing the biological ideas underpinning the algorithmic engine of a next-generation biotechnology company. We are looking for people who delight in being multi-disciplinary, seek excellence at every turn, and have an unyielding desire to continuously learn and share knowledge. If this sounds like you, we would love to speak with you.

Skills and Expertise required:

• PhD-level expertise in molecular biology or related fields such biochemistry, cell biology, oncology, structural biology, genetics, genomics, and others
• A solid understanding of one or more of the fundamentals of data science including probability, statistics, machine learning, and programming and a willingness to grow in each
• Practical experience applying computational biology techniques to analyze and gain insight from large datasets using Python or R
• Experience in developing novel biological hypotheses and using computational methods to test them
• Excellent communication skills to synthesize complex data problems and solutions into content easily understandable by the scientific and leadership teams to facilitate critical decisions
• Ability to be highly successful operating in a multidisciplinary environment and a willingness to collaborate across functional teams is essential
• Bonus: experience working directly with *omics datasets, and expertise in CRISPR and cancer biology

What you’ll do:

• Bring your computational skills and biological knowledge to bear on a critical problem in cancer treatment that contributes to the failure of 97% of cancer drugs in their clinical trials
• Propose, develop, and validate novel methods of associating drugs and their properties with their true mechanism of action in cancer cells
• Grow and learn. Deep expertise in advanced data science and machine learning isn’t necessary to start with, but you will need to be comfortable building an extensive cross-disciplinary background as we go.
• Be a culture-setter by embodying the company’s principles of truth-seeking, mutual respect, integrity, drive, and teamwork

What we offer:

• Highly competitive compensation with equity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• The opportunity to have your career grow along with our company
• Work focused on developing cutting-edge technical methodologies to directly create meaningful positive impact on human health
• The freedom to develop your own methodologies and approaches in collaboration with our team to solve our most important challenges
• The opportunity to work with a world-class, remote-first, interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning numerous fields in biology, computer science, and machine learning. We learn from each other everyday and we’re excited to continue learning as we grow!
• Remote work
• Quarterly US based travel for on-site retreats