As a Scientist at Valen Labs, you will lead the wet-lab engine, utilizing cell-free protein expression to produce and characterize antibodies. You’ll design developability assays, including binding kinetics and stability profiling, providing the critical data that trains our AI models. This is a founding-team role defining experimental workflows from scratch.
Scientist at Valen Labs
Join Valen Labs, a stealth-stage Bay Area biotech merging experimental biology with AI to design the next generation of therapeutic drugs. As a Scientist, you will build the foundational wet-lab engine from scratch, utilizing cell-free protein expression to produce and characterize the antibodies that train our proprietary models. If you are a high-performing experimentalist excited to move beyond traditional discovery and join a founding team with significant equity, this is the opportunity to shape the future of drug design and therapeutics development from the ground up.
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Location
San Francisco, United States
Compensation
Not Disclosed + Equity
Company
Valen Labs
Role overview
Data engine to make AI models better at biology
What you will do
- Run and optimize cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) using E. coli or CHO lysates to express complex antibody constructs.
- Design and execute comprehensive developability panels including SPR/BLI for kinetics, DSF/DSC for stability, and SEC-MALS for aggregation.
- Collaborate closely with the founding team to establish and scale experimental protocols that feed high-fidelity data into AI models.
Who this is a fit for
- Extensive hands-on experience with cell-free protein expression systems for the production of antibodies or other therapeutic proteins.
- Proven track record running antibody characterization assays including biophysical profiling and developability in a biotech or pharmaceutical setting.
- PhD in Biochemistry, Protein Science, or a related field, with the ability to own complex experimental projects end-to-end.
Why this role is remarkable
- Lead the foundational wet-lab program at a stealth-stage biotech where your experimental data directly drives AI-driven drug design.
- Gain founding-team equity and work directly with the founders to build experimental SOPs and workflows from the ground up.
- Join a high-impact team where you move beyond traditional discovery into the cutting-edge future of designed therapeutics.
How Jack & Jill work together
I get to know what you’re great at, then find roles you’d never find yourself.Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.
I recruit from Jack’s network and make the intro when I spot a great match.And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.
Jack gets to know what you're great at and what you want next, then searches 15 million jobs daily and helps you discover roles at companies like this.
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What happens next?
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Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and Valen Labs wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.