Head of Data Science - Ascidian Therapeutics

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking a talented and highly motivated leader with a deep understanding of computational biology and its potential to transform drug discovery. You will have deep technical savvy, a strategic mindset, and clear, forwarding-thinking leadership in AI/ML, computational biology and molecular biology, with a proven track record of leveraging computational tools to drive innovation in biotechnology, particularly in the realm of molecular biology, genome/transcriptome-wide analysis, single cell analytics, molecular design and structure, next generation sequencing, to predict RNA structure, regulation, and splicing. This role will be pivotal in shaping the company's scientific strategy and ensuring its successful execution.

Your contribution to Ascidian

• Provide strategic and technical leadership in the integration of AI/ML-based computation, computational biology and drug discovery, ensuring alignment with the company's overarching vision and objectives.

• Collaborate with the executive leadership team to define and refine the scientific strategy, ensuring its alignment with business goals.

• Responsible for experimental design, analysis, and interpretation of large data sets including bulk RNA-seq, single-cell/single-nucleus RNA seq, single-cell ATAC seq, single-cell barcoding strategies, spatial transcriptomic data, and imaging analysis.

• Develop and deploy barcoding strategies to enable the collection of robust and reproducible data from highly multiplexed in-vivo experiments.

• Develop and deploy both classical data science and cutting-edge ML methods to analyze data from diverse ‘omic modalities, including transcriptomic and imaging data, addressing challenges such as distribution shift, experimental artifacts, data sparsity, and more.

• Work with lab colleagues to design experiments that generate datasets that are fit for purpose for machine learning, including ones generated explicitly for training ML models.

• Mentor and guide the computational team, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.

• Establish partnerships with academic institutions and other third parties to stay abreast of emerging technologies and models.

• Foster a collaborative environment, working closely with R&D leaders and program heads to ensure seamless integration of computational tools with experimental workflows.

What you need to succeed

• PhD in computational biology, data sciences, bioinformatics, mathematics, engineering or a related field.

• 8+ years in the biotech or related industry with a focus on being technically excellent, strategic and innovative.

• Demonstrated leadership in computational biology or related fields.

• Proven track record of publications in high-impact journals or significant industry contributions.

• Strong familiarity with RNA biology, RNA processing, ribonucleoprotein structures and their interactions.

• Experience in guiding teams in the deployment of machine learning platforms and bioinformatics tools.

• Experience with protein co-evolution analysis and NGS tools.

• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas to diverse audiences.

• Familiarity with a startup or fast-growing biotech environment, with established network within the biotech and computational biology communities, is preferred.