AI Scientist

Title: AI Scientist

The Role. This AI Scientist position will drive the development and optimization of Aizen's generative AI-based peptide drug discovery platform, DaX™. You will be responsible for incorporating state-of-the-art neural network architectures and high-performance computational biology software to improve the accuracy and throughput of our drug discovery efforts. Your work will be critical in translating experimental data and scientific insights into scalable, robust models.

Our Ideal Candidate. You are passionate about the company’s mission and a self-starter with an inextinguishable fire to compete and succeed. You thrive in an environment that requires crisp judgment, pragmatic decision-making, rapid course-corrections, and comfort with market ambiguity. You discharge your duties within a culture of mutual team respect, high performance, humility, and humor.

Key Responsibilities

·    Incorporate state-of-the-art neural network architectures and training methods to improve accuracy and throughput of DaX™, Aizen's generative AI-based peptide drug discovery platform.

·    Develop, test, deploy, and maintain high-performance computational biology software according to the needs and feedback of experimentalists at Aizen.

·    Orchestrate new and existing Aizen software tools into scalable, highly-available, and easy-to-use cloud pipelines.

·    Work closely with experimental scientists at Aizen to manage storage and access of Aizen's experimental data.

Candidate Skills and Experience

·    Ph.D. and/or postdoctoral studies in Computer Science, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related field.

·    Deep, demonstrated expertise in advanced Generative Models (e.g., Flow Matching, Diffusion Models) for de novo design in discrete and continuous spaces.

·    Experience integrating and leveraging data from physics-based simulations (e.g., Molecular Dynamics) into machine learning models 

·    Experience collecting, sanitizing, and training on biological property datasets, with a preference for prior experience with peptides

·    Proficiency with Python, shell scripting, and a high-performance compiled language

·    Entrepreneurial spirit, self-starter with proper balance of scientific creativity and disciplined execution.

·    Preferred: Experience designing and maintaining high-availability cloud architectures for hosting high-performance biological analysis software.

·    Preferred: Experience in chemical featurization, representation, and model application for peptide chemistry, non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs) and complex peptide macrocycles.

·    Preferred: Experience in protein/peptide folding dynamics, protein structural analysis and resultant data integration to improve computation/design.

About Aizen

Aizen is an AI-driven biotechnology company pioneering Mirror Peptides, a novel class of biologic medicines. Mirror Peptides are synthetic, fully D-amino acid peptides that represent a vast, unexplored therapeutic chemical space. Backed by life science venture capital and based in the biotech hub of San Diego, CA. 

Location & Compensation

·    Reporting: Principal AI Scientist

·    Location: This position is flexible with hybrid or remote options or on-site in San Diego

·    Compensation: Competitive base salary, stock options, and a benefits package including medical coverage.