Scientist II, Display Technologies

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About the Rol

eWe are looking for an accomplished protein biochemist to own phage display campaigns end-to-end within our Display Technologies group. You bring deep hands-on display expertise and the judgment to design selection strategies, troubleshoot challenging targets, and turn campaigns into high-quality datasets that feed AI antibody design. You take pride in rigorous bench execution, you think critically about experimental design, and you are comfortable working against difficult target classes—including membrane proteins presented in cell-based expression systems or recombinant formats

.
Beyond your own bench work, you will help raise the level of the group: mentoring associate scientists, setting technical standards, and partnering with computational and engineering colleagues to scale data generation. You thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where pushing the boundaries of what is possible is the nor

m.
Responsibilit

• iesIndependently design, execute, and own phage display campaigns from library through panning and hit validation, across both soluble antigens and membrane-protein targets (e.g., GPCRs) presented in cell-based expression systems or recombinant forma
• ts.Develop and optimize selection strategies for difficult target classes, including troubleshooting antigen production, presentation, and quality contr
• ol.Design and build display libraries, applying strong molecular biology fundamentals (cloning, mutagenesis, assembly) to generate high-quality, diverse repertoir
• es.Design and run clonal-level affinity and functional characterization—including flow cytometry (FACS), ELISA, and SPR—and help adapt these assays to higher-throughput and automated forma
• ts.Partner with computational and ML colleagues to generate, structure, and quality-control data at scale for model training and evaluati
• on.Mentor associate scientists on display workflows, experimental design, and lab best practices; contribute to technical standards within the gro
• up.Contribute to and lead the preparation of technical reports, presentations, and documentation of methods and resul

ts.
Qualificat

• ionsPhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Protein Engineering, or a related field, with 2–4 years of relevant industry experie
• nce.Significant hands-on expertise with antibody/protein discovery by phage display, including library design, build, panning/selection, and hit validat
• ion.Strong molecular biology skills for library construction, including cloning, mutagenesis, and assembly, with the rigor to build high-quality, diverse librar
• ies.Hands-on flow cytometry (FACS) experience is required, including data interpretation and gating strat
• egy.Demonstrated ability to run campaigns independently and troubleshoot challenging targets; experience with membrane proteins (e.g., GPCRs) in cell-based expression systems or recombinant formats is strongly prefer
• red.Strong working knowledge of antibody binding and characterization assays (e.g., ELISA) and proficiency in core molecular and cell biology techniques, including mammalian cell cult
• ure.Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail and a rigorous, organized approach to experimental design and documentat
• ion.Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific concepts to both technical and non-technical audien
• ces.Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team, with a track record of fostering knowledge-sharing and supporting more junior colleag

ues.
Nice to

• HaveExperience with label-free affinity characterization (SPR, BLI/Oc
• tet).Experience with alternative display formats (yeast, mammalian, or ribosome/mRNA disp
• lay).Experience with lab automation (e.g., Hamilton, Tecan, or similar liquid handl
• ing).Working knowledge of scripting for analysis of large datasets (e.g., Python o

r R).
Compen

sation

Annual
We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long-term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants. We offer a competitive package that includes base salary, bonus, and equity. The base pay range for this position is expected to be $124,000 to $155,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and expe

rience.
Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will ne

ver end.
TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: Xaira Therapeutics does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or employees. Xaira Therapeutics is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited