Senior Scientist, Oligonucleotide Therapeutics

The Opportunity

At the heart of insitro's strategy is to generate multi-modal phenotypic cellular data in our automated laboratories for our cell machine learning platform and utilize high content human clinical, imaging and genetic data in our clinical machine learning platform to unlock and de-risk novel therapeutic targets for drug discovery. Our drug discovery efforts span from small molecules to oligonucleotides.

We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to support our growing efforts in the oligonucleotide drug discovery space. This role will report to the head of our oligonucleotide drug discovery. In this role the candidate will get an opportunity to work across targets and therapeutic areas and will be supporting oligonucleotide drug discovery and tech dev encompassing several modalities such as siRNAs, ASOs and mRNA. The ideal candidate will be working in a highly collaborative environment with our therapeutic area scientists, AI/ML scientists, and chemists, to bring transformative medicines to patients faster.

You will be joining a vibrant biotech startup that has long-term stability, with significant funding, and in a high-growth phase, and you will have many opportunities to make a significant impact. You will work closely with a very talented team, learn a broad range of skills, and help shape insitro's culture, strategic direction, and outcomes. Join us, and help make a difference to patients!

This is an onsite role based in insitro's South San Francisco headquarters, coming onsite 3-4 days a week.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize siRNA, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and related oligonucleotide modalities to support target validation and therapeutic drug discovery programs

• Collaborate cross-functionally with therapeutic area teams to develop and execute in vitro and in vivo experimental strategies for oligonucleotide-based drug discovery

• Conduct molecular and cellular biology experiments to advance oligonucleotide discovery initiatives and platform technology development

• Apply medicinal chemistry principles and nucleotide chemical modifications to drive structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies and lead optimization

• Partner with AI/ML scientists to develop and refine computational tools for in silico oligonucleotide design and predictive therapeutic modeling

• Integrate target biology, RNA biology, and mechanistic insights to propose innovative oligonucleotide-based therapeutic strategies

• Analyze experimental datasets, generate publication-quality figures and tables, and communicate findings effectively to multidisciplinary scientific audiences

• Maintain awareness of emerging scientific advances in oligonucleotide therapeutics, nucleic acid chemistry, and RNA-targeted drug discovery

About You

• PhD in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific discipline, with 2–4 years of relevant experience in nucleic acid therapeutics or oligonucleotide drug discovery preferred

• Strong understanding of siRNA and ASO design principles, mechanisms of action, RNA structure–function relationships, and oligonucleotide chemical modifications

• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, transfection methodologies, TaqMan assays, gene knockdown analysis, Ago2 loading assays, RNA sequencing, and pharmacokinetic (PK) assessment of oligonucleotides is highly desirable

• Knowledge of oligonucleotide delivery technologies and formulation strategies is advantageous

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams and therapeutic areas.

• Strong analytical skills, scientific rigor, and exceptional attention to detail

Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $156,000 - $176,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.

This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.

In addition, insitro also provides our employees:

• 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support

• Open, flexible vacation policy

• Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)

• Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development

• Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities

• New hire stipend for home office setup

• Monthly cell phone & internet stipend

• Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid

• Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area

insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.

#LI-Onsite

Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at [email protected].

About insitro

insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.