Associate Director - Drug Discovery

Serna Bio is building the world’s first map of the druggable transcriptome, systematically opening up the universe of RNA biology to small molecule drug discovery. Using our Discovery Platform, we are tackling the classically intractable targets ranging from coding and non-coding RNA.

The Team You’ll Join

We are looking for a talented and accomplished Senior Scientist to accelerate our program development efforts. You will be a key member of our new US Programs Biology team, reporting to our Director of  Biology and tasked with advancing our programs through early drug discovery. 

The Impact You’ll Make

In this role, you will lead the expansion and advancement of our therapeutic pipeline by bringing your experiment design and CRO management skills to target selection, drug discovery/development, and early clinical work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive the development and execution of hit-to-lead and lead optimisation of core drug discovery programs 
• Work closely with the platform team to ensure the programs are being supported by, and feeding into, the Serna Bio ChemAI Platform
• Design the strategy, data, and statistical design process for assays for hit to lead and lead ops, leaning on previous experience leading drug discovery program progression. 

Requirements

Technical Requirements

• PhD in molecular biology or a related field, Post Doc / plus at least 4 years of industry experience in hit to lead, and lead optimisation for drug discovery programs.
• Specific experience in setting up key processes and milestones needed to move a program from hit ID to hit to lead and lead ops. 
• Experience in assay design and setup for early-stage hit identification for drug discovery programs, and assay setup for robust SAR optimisation. 
• Experience developing and running screening assays for hit-to-lead and lead optimisation
• Demonstrable experience managing external collaborations and CROs
• Experience in autoimmune, metabolic or neurological disorders
• Demonstrated experience with vector design, cloning and fluorescence and luminescence assays, specifically when used in a high throughput system, or for hit to lead or lead optimisation. 
• Experience leading and prioritising among multiple projects and efficiently advancing projects to Proof of Concept and no-go decisions.
• Experience working in cross-functional and distributed teams.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage different projects and deliver to defined timelines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills e.g. can tailor the complexity of communications as and when required, whilst maintaining clarity of communication
• Bonus Marks: Previous experience at early-stage biotech and the associated demands of start-up life

Interpersonal skills

• Exceptionally detail-oriented with a love for organization 
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills - able to present findings to interdisciplinary audiences.
• Comfortable with juggling activities and can (re)prioritize effectively
• Creativity and Curiosity
• Interested in working in a dynamic, high-paced environment

Benefits

About Us

Serna Bio is a preclinical drug discovery company developing small molecules that can modulate translation and splicing, by targeting RNA. Founded in 2021, Serna Bio leverages the convergence of synthetic biology, machine learning (ML), and massively multiplex screening to tackle the historical challenges of drugging the RNA universe.

Our core innovation lies in the Serna Discovery Platform, which systematically maps RNA structures to a vast chemical universe, generating large proprietary datasets. The platform incorporates both experimental wet lab and AI capabilities.  We use our platform to tackle undruggable targets and novel biology inaccessible by classical drug discovery. 

The Values You’ll Share 

• The Data Decides: The future of drug discovery will be computationally led. Opinions are just hypotheses. The data rules.

• Unapologetic ambition: The work we do matters. We maximise its value by striving to make the biggest impact, fastest. We don’t take the easy path, or wait for lower risk. We show up with a plan. We define what victory looks like. We make our time count.

• We don’t rely on experience, we run the experiment: We are humble in the face of work that has never been done before. We never default to experience. We use what we already know to train the machines to outperform us.

• Only the highest standards: We are inspired by challenge. We work hard. Our efforts are guided by the utility of every failed experiment and the value of new learning. Metrics matter to us. Effort, integrity, honesty, execution, and excellence are what we owe each other.

• We are one company: We operate with a ‘company first, team second’ mentality. We learn from the perspectives of others. Our is an antedisciplinary idea meritocracy. Ego is valueless. Diverse perspectives, integrity, resilience and teamwork are priceless.

• High-density, high-frequency communication: We share Work in Progress. We offer and accept critical opinions on this work so that the final versions are excellent. We communicate clearly to enable rapid decision-making, and we bring solutions, not just problems to the team.