Data Scientist, Drug Discovery
Septerna
Septerna is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, CA on a mission to develop life-changing medicines for patients with the vision to become the industry-leading G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused drug discovery company. The company’s Native Complex Platform™ recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular context. This approach enables novel access to modern structural and screening technologies used in industrial-scale drug discovery for the entire class of GPCRs. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR-targeted small molecule programs with potential for growth to target many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date.
We are excited to expand our multidisciplinary team of individuals focused on creating revolutionary medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. At Septerna we strive to embrace diversity of thought, expertise, and background through collaboration. To join our ambitious team, be prepared to bring your real self to work every day; grow and learn from a talented team of drug hunters, scientists, and business professionals; and contribute your passion, creativity, and energy to accomplish our mission. We share a fearless pursuit of ground-breaking innovations and cultivate an environment where our employees succeed by learning from each other and working as a team.
We are committed to the development of meaningful therapeutics for patients with indications of high unmet need. This is a tremendous opportunity to work with talented individuals on the frontlines of therapeutic discovery and development. You will directly help move therapies through preclinical research, positioning them for success in the clinic. The successful candidate will add their passion, unique talents, and expertise to a dynamic team motivated to discover new disease-modifying therapeutics for patients in a fast-paced environment.
For more information see: www.septerna.com.
THE ROLE
Septerna is seeking a Data Scientist to join our Data Science and ML team. In this role, you will be instrumental in transforming complex experimental data into actionable scientific insights. You will draw on your data analysis and visualization skills to answer critical scientific questions that will help us optimize experimental protocols, increase our hit rates, and deepen our understanding of the results from our DEL screens. This is an opportunity to join a dynamic team as a data scientist with a passion for science and a desire to make a tangible impact on research and development.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Master's degree (with a minimum of 6 years of experience) or Ph.D. in a quantitative scientific field (e.g., Chemistry, Biology, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Computer Science) with 2+ years of relevant experience.
- Proficiency in Python for data analysis, including extensive experience with libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and Scikit-learn.
- Demonstrated ability to write clean, modular, and well-documented code, ensuring reusability and maintainability within a shared codebase.
- Strong understanding of data science and statistical concepts and their practical application in experimental contexts.
- Demonstrated ability to create clear and insightful data visualizations.
- Experience with querying and working with databases.
- Familiarity with scientific data, particularly in chemistry and/or biology, and an eagerness to learn more about drug discovery.
- Basic understanding of machine learning principles.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a collaborative mindset.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills for interacting with diverse scientific teams.
Preferred skills
- Experience with dashboarding tools (e.g., Streamlit, Dash, ReTool).
- Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud) for data storage, processing, and analysis.
- Prior experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences research environment.
REQUIREMENTS
- Analyze diverse experimental datasets (e.g., from high-throughput/DEL screening or assay results) or ML-derived datasets to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies.
- Apply statistical methods and core data science techniques (e.g., clustering, correlation analysis, statistical metrics) to derive meaningful conclusions from scientific data.
- Develop clear and compelling data visualizations, reports, and/or interactive dashboards to effectively communicate findings to chemists, biologists, and fellow data scientists.
- Collaborate closely with experimental scientists to understand their data needs, optimize experimental designs, and improve data collection strategies.
- Query, extract, and integrate data from various data sources, including SQL/serverless databases.
- Contribute to the development, documentation and maintenance of robust data analysis pipelines (GitHub).
- Maintain a basic understanding of machine learning concepts and evaluate opportunities for their application.
- Stay updated on best practices in data analysis, visualization, and scientific data management.
The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in South San Francisco, CA is $175,000 - $200,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation, job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Septerna's compensation package also includes benefits, stock options, and annual target bonus for full-time positions.
We are an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
Note to Employment Agencies: Please do not forward any agency resumes. The company will not be responsible for any fees related to resumes that are unsolicited.