Head of Protein Sciences

At Lyterian Therapeutics, we are committed to developing medicines for patients in need by co-opting physiologically-relevant protein homeostatic mechanisms to regulate genetically-validated targets. Position Summary:As Head of Protein Sciences, you will be responsible for leading our team working to produce and structurally characterize proteins, protein complexes, and protein/compound interactions to support drug discovery platform and programs. You will lead and mentor top-tier scientists using structural biology techniques including X-Ray crystallography and cryo-EM to guide structure-based drug design efforts; proteomics to characterize target proteins and protein complexes; and biophysical techniques including SPR and HDX to enable hit identification, lead optimization, and mechanism of action studies. By collaborating closely with chemists, protein biochemists, and cell biologists, you will uncover fundamental biology and mechanisms behind induced protein homeostasis therapeutic strategies and drive drug discovery to harness protein homeostasis for therapeutic benefit.

Impact You'll Make:

• Develop our structural biology platform and lead projects to study protein interactions and protein complexes using X-Ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and proteomics
• Develop our biophysical studies platform and lead projects to study protein interactions and protein complexes using biophysical approaches, including surface plasmon resonance (SPR), MST, HDX, DLS, and/or DSF
• Contribute to our structural and biophysical understanding of induced protein degradation and lead our protein design and protein production efforts
• Lead and mentor teams that are designing, optimizing, and implementing assays to further structure activity relationships (SAR) studies and push forward the field of regulated protein homeostasis
• Engage in and mentor others to effectively utilize structure-based drug design principles
• Collaborate with medicinal and computational chemists, molecular biologists, cell and assay development scientists, bioinformaticians, pharmacologists and translational biologists
• Join the Scientific Leadership Team and serve as a scientific leader, mentor and subject matter expert (SME) on multiple project teams
• Develop and contribute to company's intellectual property (IP) domain by way of patents and/or publications
• Stay up-to-date with emerging scientific literature to enable innovative approaches
• Collaborate and communicate across a diverse scientific team to successfully progress Lyterian goals

Qualifications:

• PhD in structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, or related discipline with >12 years of relevant postdoctoral or industrial experience, including 7+ years in industry as a key contributor or leader of discovery teams
• Experience managing top-tier structural biologists, protein biochemists, proteomics, and biophysics scientists
• Familiarity with computational approaches including data management, automated structure determination, and protein modeling and design packages such as MOE, Rosetta, or Schrödinger
• Skills in various protein production platforms
• Strong experience in protein purification methods, with demonstrated application and creativity in all aspects of construct design, protein production, isolation, and characterization
• Knowledge of protein degradation mechanisms and in particular the biochemistry of ubiquitin system proteins is a plus
• Familiarity with proteomics and mass spectrometry is a plus
• Evidence of scientific excellence and impact as illustrated by scientific publications and presentations
• Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently, communicate clearly, work within departmental groups, and build open and collaborative relationships
• Demonstrated ability to mentor others
• Initiative and boldness to dive into a fast-paced new startup

At Lyterian, we believe that a diverse, open, and inclusive environment and culture is key to our success.  We will not be influenced in recruiting, hiring, promoting or any other employment practices by race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical or genetic condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws. Lyterian will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable laws. Note to External Recruiters: Submission of unsolicited resumes prior to an agreement set in place does not create any implied obligation.