Project Scientist, Discovery

A Bit About Us: 

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms.

The Opportunity:

Arcadia is a combined platform company start-up incubator. Arcadia’s translational start-up portfolio is currently focused on problems in therapeutics and leverages our in-house research platform. Our discovery platform includes computational and experimental tools for comparative organismal analyses across the tree of life. We are developing new technologies that leverage publicly available data sets to trace evolutionary patterns at different biological scales. We use these tools to strategically pick organisms for our translational research directions, which can help point towards biological innovations or models that can accelerate therapeutic development in several internally-selected areas. 

Discovery Project Scientists will run rapid pilots where the goal is to prototype a computational or experimental tool that has the potential to disrupt biological discovery. Discovery Pilots drive the adoption of new technology within Arcadia and may also be a source of IP, licensing, and spin-outs.

The Project Scientist will be expected to execute 4–5 pilots per year and should be able to shrewdly identify key risks and optimize for “failing fast” so that they may pivot quickly between ambitious pursuits. At the end of each pilot, the Scientist will write up and publish their results. The ideal Project Scientist is capable of working independently but prefers to ideate and work as part of a highly collaborative and technically diversified team. 

At this time, we are looking for scientists with expertise in a few priority areas, including but not limited to: phylogenomics, molecular and statistical genetics, and organismal physiology. While we hope to bring in technical expertise in these areas, the pace and nature of this work benefits from an overall nimble, generalist mindset. Start-up experience is a major plus.

• Work in coordination with current Project Scientists toward existing pilot goals
• Contribute to collaborative ideation around new pilots
• Familiarize themselves with internal platform capabilities

• Be able to pitch and lead research pilots
• Establish go/no-go decision points for pilots
• Achieve baseline computational fluency required for effective collaborations (internal training is available)
• Be prepared to quickly draft and publish iced pilots

• Have completed three or more pilot cycles
• Have contributed positively to establishing a new line of inquiry or platform development at Arcadia
• Be eligible to pitch expansion of a successful pilot effort

• PhD or equivalent experience in life sciences or related fields
• Full-time experience in an industry outside of academia is valued but not an absolute requirement
• Basic programming experience (Python or R and bash)
• Basic knowledge of GitHub Strong writing and project management skills

Successful applicants can expect to be compensated between $125,000-$175,000 with benefits and a highly competitive equity offering, depending on experience level. The position will require the individual to be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters.

Application Process:

This is an open search, and candidates will be reviewed on a monthly basis. Applicants who require an expedited review should send an email to ea@arcadiascience.com alongside their application to indicate this. For all applicants, send a resume and answer the questions found within the online portal.

Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work.

Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.