🚀 About Lila Sciences
Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more about this mission at www.lila.ai
At Lila, we are uniquely cross-functional and collaborative. We are actively reimagining the way teams work together and communicate. Therefore, we seek individuals with an inclusive mindset and a diversity of thought. Our teams thrive in unstructured and creative environments. All voices are heard because we know that experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way.
If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, please apply.
🌟 Your Impact at Lila
We are seeking a Principal Scientist with deep expertise to develop our Library Technologies platform, with a focus on cDNA display, yeast surface display, and mammalian cell display. This individual will build and scale a multidisciplinary team to develop, optimize, and apply these display
technologies to enable large-scale screening of biologics and functional molecules across diverse therapeutic modalities. This is a rare opportunity to architect and implement next-generation display systems integrated with AI, automation to drive hit discovery, binder characterization, and functional selection.
🛠️ What You'll Be Building
- Design and execute strategies for library technology platforms, constructing and screening large-scale genetic libraries using cDNA, yeast surface, and mammalian display methods.Design, develop, and optimize display systems for selection of binding proteins, functional antibodies, and other therapeutic candidates.
- Drive the strategies for library generation, display expression, selection reagents for difficult protein targets such as GPCRs.
- Collaborate closely with machine learning, protein engineering, cell engineering, and informatics teams to enable hit selection, and sequence-to-function model development.
- Collaborate with automation teams to build scalable, reproducible workflows across liquid handlers, FACS, and plate-based screening platforms.
- Mentor junior scientists, foster a culture of innovation and rigor, and collaboration. Contribute to company-wide scientific strategy planning and cross-functional project design with scientific and technical leadership.
🧰 What You’ll Need to Succeed
- Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Protein Engineering, Biochemistry, Synthetic Biology, or a related discipline with 8+ years of industry or postdoctoral experience.
- Proven track record of developing and applying display technologies (e.g., cDNA display, yeast display, mammalian cell display) to protein or antibody discovery.
- Strong track record of library design, construction, FACS-based selection, NGS-based sequencing methods, experience in functional screening is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with automation tools (e.g., liquid handler, FACS sorters), and data-driven optimization of selection campaigns.
- Prior experience working in cross-functional environments with machine learning, biology, automation, and informatics.
- Passion for mentoring and team building; prior experience growing high-performing scientific teams strongly preferred.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills
🌈 We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
🤝 A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.