(Senior) Research Scientist - Computational Drug Discovery

Owkin

Owkin

London, UK · Remote
Posted on Friday, June 28, 2024

About us

Owkin is an AI biotechnology company that uses AI to find the right treatment for every patient. We combine the best of human and artificial intelligence to answer the research questions shared by biopharma and academic researchers. By closing the translational gap between complex biology and new treatments, we bring new diagnostics and drugs to patients sooner.

Owkin has raised over $300 million and became a unicorn through investments from leading biopharma companies (Sanofi and BMS) and venture funds (Fidelity, GV and BPI, among others).

Owkin is seeking the best and brightest to join our fast-growing and dynamic team.

About the role

The Computational Drug Discovery team is looking for a Research Scientist - Protein Representations. You will have the opportunity to contribute to Owkin’s biopharma endeavors by using and developing state-of-the-art methods for protein representation and optimization. You will be involved in internal R&D projects using both machine learning expertise and domain knowledge.

In this role, you will support our internal drug discovery programs, as well as develop new machine learning algorithms to accelerate those activities.

You will work in R&Tech, under the supervision of the Computational Drug Discovery team lead.

In particular, you will:

  • Bring state-of-the-art protein langage models to Owkin
  • Develop ML libraries & workflows for protein design
  • Develop methods combining 3D structure and sequence to solve tasks relevant to Owkin
  • Help develop tools for target assessment
  • Support our internal drug discovery pipeline
  • Write scientific papers and project reports, participate in scientific conferences
  • Participate in our internal R&D, striving to keep Owkin’s methodology to the state-of-the-art

About You

Above all, you should be excited by the idea of working at the intersection of drug discovery and machine learning.

The successful candidate will have a ‘team-first’ kind of attitude; be independent, curious and detail-attentive; thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment; and be fun to work with.

In terms of skill set, we are looking for someone with:

  • MSc/engineering degree with a few years of relevant research experience; or PhD in Computational Chemistry, Machine Learning, (Bio)Physics, Mathematics, Statistics or related fields.
  • Demonstrated expertise in protein language models and/or the application of 3D-aware models to protein representation (point cloud, 3D GNNs, etc.) including publications at top conferences and journals,
  • Strong programming skills in Python with good software engineering skills.
  • Knowledge and experience with machine learning toolkits and concepts (scikit-learn, classical algorithms, cross-validation, statistical tests, …). Hands-on experience with deep learning frameworks (Tensorflow, PyTorch, etc.).
  • Working biochemistry knowledge, experience working with protein or biologics data (both sequence and structure).
  • General knowledge of the drug discovery process, constraints and timelines.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills. Fluent in English.
  • Comfortable working in cross-disciplinary teams, highly organized, capable of tackling complex problems logically and effectively, self-driven.

Ways to Stand Out

We would be especially excited to read about your:

  • Prior experience in a drug discovery setting
  • Experience working on antibodies or protein design
  • Experience with fine-tuning of language models
  • Experience with 3D data (point clouds, E(3) equivariant models, etc.)
  • Experience with visualization and understanding of protein structures

For Internal Use: #LI-CJI

What we offer

  • Flexible work organization and access to remote work
  • Friendly and informal working environment
  • Opportunity to work with an international team with high technical and scientific backgrounds

Recruitment Process & Security

  • Please complete the form and submit your CV.
  • Owkin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status or on the basis of disability.
  • Owkin is a great place to work. Unfortunately, being a coveted workplace means we are vulnerable to recruitment phishing scams. We urge all job seekers and candidates to be wary of potential scams. Most of these have individuals posing as representatives of prominent companies, including Owkin, with the aim of obtaining personal, sensitive, or financial information from applicants. These scams prey upon an individual’s desire to obtain a job and can sometimes “feel” like a genuine recruitment process. Some red flags are identified below. Should you encounter a recruitment process that claims to be for Owkin but is not consistent with the below, please do not provide any personal or financial information:
  • Legitimate Owkin recruitment processes include communication with candidates through recognized professional networks, such as LinkedIn.
  • Communication is always through an official Owkin email address (from the @owkin.com domain), over the phone or though our applicant tracking system (Greenhouse).
  • The Owkin talent team do use platforms such as LinkedIn and Job Teaser, however if you have any concern or doubt about this contact, please ask for them to send an email from @Owkin.com.
  • The Owkin talent team will not solicit personal data from candidates during the application phase including, but not limited to, date of birth, social security numbers, or bank account information;
  • Legitimate Owkin interviews may be conducted over the phone, in person, or via an approved enterprise videoconferencing service (Google Meets). They will not occur via Signal, Telegram or Messenger
  • Owkin offers of employment are based on merit and only extended once a candidate has interviewed with members of the talent and hiring team. Offers will be extended both verbally and in written format.

If you think that you have been a victim of fraud,