Senior Principal Scientist, Structural Biology & Drug Design
Overview
You will define target druggability hypotheses for difficult-to-drug targets by integrating structural, computational, biophysical, and pharmacological evidence. This role sits at the interface of computation and experiment, partnering with molecular pharmacologists, biologists, medicinal chemists, and computational chemists. You will lead experimental structural biology campaigns, manage CROs, and contribute to Schrödinger's platform strategy. This position offers the chance to unlock previously intractable targets with cutting-edge methods like cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography, while collaborating with a multidisciplinary team in a relaxed but engaged culture.
What You'll Do7
- 1Define druggability hypotheses for challenging targets by integrating structural, computational, biophysical, and pharmacological evidence
- 2Apply and advance computational methods, including AI/ML approaches, for structure prediction, binding site identification, and pocket druggability scoring
- 3Translate structural insights into actionable hypotheses for medicinal chemistry and biology teams, proposing experiments to test and de-risk emerging hypotheses
- 4Evaluate and integrate emerging methods like generative structure prediction, cryptic pocket detection, and MD-based ensemble docking into practical workflows
- 5Present target tractability assessments to project teams, portfolio review committees, and leadership, communicating complex rationale clearly
- 6Lead experimental structural biology efforts on active programs, managing work at external CROs, collaborating with internal teams, or performing hands-on experiments
- 7Contribute to Schrödinger's platform strategy by feeding practical requirements back into internal software and methods development
Requirements4
- 1PhD (or equivalent industrial experience) in Structural Biology, Biophysics, Computational Chemistry, or a related discipline
- 2Deep hands-on expertise in structure-based drug design, including practical experience with cryptic/transient binding site identification and pocket druggability assessment
- 3Working fluency in modern computational structural biology methods, such as AI-based structure prediction, MD-based conformational sampling, and binding site detection
- 4Direct experience designing, executing, and interpreting cryo-EM and/or X-ray crystallography experiments, including strategies for capturing difficult structural states
Salary Insight
$135 - $190k per year
Location
Required Skills
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