Research Scientist, Structural Bioinformatics

This role is with Hummingbird Bioscience, a startup supported by SGInnovate.

Hummingbird Bioscience is an innovative clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing precision therapies against hard-to-drug targets to improve treatment outcomes. We harness the latest advances in systems biology and data science to better understand and solve the underlying causes of disease and guide development of our therapeutics.

Enabled by our proprietary Rational Antibody Discovery platform, we discover antibodies against optimal yet elusive epitopes on important targets that have not been successfully drugged, unlocking novel mechanisms of action. We are advancing a rich pipeline of first- and best-in-class precision therapies in oncology and autoimmunity, in collaboration with global partners in academia and industry.

Our highly experienced teams in the US and Singapore span antibody discovery, pharmacology, production and clinical development. Together we aim to accelerate the journey of new drugs from concept to clinical care.

For more information, please visit www.hummingbirdbioscience.com, and follow Hummingbird on LinkedIn and Twitter (@hummingbirdbio)

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Develop and extend the capabilities of the mAbPredict platform
• Develop and extend user-friendly interfaces to mAbPredict
• Perform epitope selection for discovery campaigns
• Development of the company’s structural bioinformatics pipelines
• Develop and implement new approaches to in-silico antibody discovery
• Where necessary manage in-house HPC and cloud-based bioinformatics software infrastructure
• Improve existing proprietary code-bases and develop new bioinformatics tools and algorithms
• Implement reproducible scientific software environments and pipelines
• Train company staff in relevant bioinformatics techniques and/or deploy bioinformatics solutions to meet their needs
• Provide support, mentorship and training to others
• Establishment and maintenance of documentation procedures and configuration profiles
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

CORE EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• A relevant post-graduate degree in computer science, chemistry physics, mathematics, engineering, biology, biochemistry or similar
• A minimum of 3 years post-PhD experience with demonstrated track record in project management
• Open source contributions or publications in academic journals demonstrating experience in scientific software development
• Good knowledge of antibody and/or protein-based modelling techniques
• Good knowledge of machine learning as applied to protein structure
• Good knowledge of Unix style operating systems and HPC clusters
• Good knowledge of relational databases
• Proficient coding skills in relevant languages such as Python
• Demonstrated ability to use commonly used molecular dynamics packages (e.g. GROMACS, OpenMM etc) for protein-based simulation
• Demonstrated ability to use commonly used homology modelling toolsets (e.g. Rosetta)
• Good time management skills with the ability to effectively plan, prioritize and co-ordinate multiple tasks and adjust to changing priorities to deliver results to tight deadlines
• Ability to find innovative solutions to complex problems and proactively seek out continuous improvement initiatives
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships across internal and external partners
• Ability to work independently and with the flexibility to handle workflow in a fast-paced start-up environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with good attention to detail

IDEAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• A strong background in physical sciences is preferred
• Use of machine learning in a variety of contexts (e.g. structure prediction, single-cell analysis)
• Familiarity with AlphaFold and other deep learning approaches
• Experience with in silico antibody design/engineering
• Good understanding of cancer biology and immunology
• Good knowledge of containerization and modern workflow management systems such as Docker, Snakemake, Nextflow or similar

Interested applicants may apply directly on STARS Marketplace
https://stars.sginnovate.com/viewrole?type=tm&jobid=M-2021-HUMMINGBIRDB-1306