The unprecedented convergence of multi-modal data, advanced disease modeling, and computational power is revolutionizing drug discovery. insitro is harnessing this moment to redefine how medicines are developed for complex diseases. Our AI/ML-enabled platforms integrate and scale data to rapidly discover novel biological insights, identify new targets and drugs, and redefine complex diseases. To enable this vision, we are seeking a Director (or Senior Director) of Translational Medicine and Diagnostics.
This role is an opportunity to directly improve patients' lives by leading translational medicine across our three therapeutic areas — neurology/neurodegeneration, metabolism/cardiovascular, and ophthalmology — and by making clinical trials more efficient and beneficial for patients and drug developers through AI/ML and innovative translational strategies.
Reporting directly to the Chief Medical Officer, you will lead the translational medicine function at insitro, supporting the development of multiple therapeutics — biologics, oligonucleotides, and small molecules — along with multimodal biomarkers and diagnostics. This position can be onsite (three days per week) or hybrid (~one week per month) in our South San Francisco office, with additional travel to relevant medical and translational science conferences and health authorities.
Responsibilities
Translational Strategy & Leadership
Build the Function: Build and lead insitro's translational medicine function, from IND/CTA through clinical proof-of-concept, across biologics, oligonucleotides, and small molecules
Lead Key Assets: Serve as translational lead for advanced pre-clinical and initial clinical-stage assets
Own End-to-End Strategy: Be accountable for translational medicine strategy, GCP adherence, and regulatory-authority interactions, including biospecimen CRO selection and oversight
Biomarker Science & Patient Stratification
Design Stratification Strategies: Design innovative approaches to patient stratification using laboratory and digital biomarkers
Generate Proof-of-Mechanism Evidence: Generate proof-of-mechanism evidence that drives objective, data-driven, and timely go/no-go decisions
Regulatory Strategy, Partnership & Influence
Interpret Regulatory Requirements: Interpret regulatory translational medicine requirements and quantify the return on investment of translational strategies
Partner Across Functions: Collaborate closely with preclinical, clinical, regulatory, and computational teams
Shape the Field: Influence emerging AI/ML policy in translational science through original publications, presentations, and stakeholder engagement
About You
Experience & Qualifications
Advanced Degree: Advanced degree in life sciences, technology, chemistry, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
Proven Tenure: 10+ years of experience in translational science in biotech and/or pharma, including direct experience as a translational lead delivering therapeutics and diagnostic biomarkers from FIH through proof-of-concept to NDA/BLA submission
AI/ML Exposure: Experience applying AI/ML approaches to drug discovery and development
Technical Breadth: Deep understanding of diagnostic and device regulations, good clinical practice, clinical trial design and execution, clinical pharmacology, biostatistics, and the application of computation to drug development
Core Competencies
Cross-Functional Collaborator: Track record of communicating and collaborating effectively with diverse stakeholders across clinical, translational, computational, and life sciences functions
Motivating Leader: Strong interpersonal skills that inspire others to do their best work
Patient-Driven: Genuine passion for bringing better medicines to patients in need
Compensation & Benefits at insitro
Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $224,000 - $299,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.
This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.
#LI-Hybrid
Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at .
About insitro
insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.
Listed by Insitro for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Director / Senior Director, Intellectual Property
Location
South San Francisco, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Department
General & Administrative
Overview
Application
The Opportunity
insitro is a physical AI company dedicated to unlocking causal human biology and accelerating the delivery of better medicines to patients. Our unique Virtual Human™ platform identifies novel, high-impact genetic intervention points, which our TherML™ platform translates into therapeutics—whether small molecules, biologics, or oligos. With multiple programs in metabolic disease and neuroscience advancing toward the clinic, and our first IND submission slated for the second half of this year, we are at a pivotal inflection point.
This role adds senior in-house legal capacity to protect insitro's science and pipeline. Reporting to the VP, Head of Intellectual Property, you will lead patent preparation, prosecution, and freedom-to-operate analyses across therapeutic programs and the machine-learning platform. You will also help design and implement IP strategy that keeps pace with the legal developments shaping AI-native pharmaceutical companies—translating shifts in the law quickly into filings that strengthen insitro's scientific, competitive, and IP position. Based in South San Francisco, this is a hybrid role with three days onsite and two days remote.
Responsibilities
Patent Preparation & Prosecution
Draft and Prosecute: Prepare and prosecute U.S. and foreign patent applications across the therapeutic pipeline and machine-learning platform
Ownership & Assignment: Manage inventorship, ownership, and assignment matters across jurisdictions
IP Strategy & Portfolio Management
Shape the Strategy: Help design, implement, and evolve IP strategy and asset lifecycle management in step with the rapidly shifting legal landscape for AI-native pharma
Competitive Intelligence: Monitor patent filings, publications, and pipeline developments of competitors and translate complex landscape data into strategic recommendations for corporate strategy and business development
Trademark & Trade Secret: Manage the trademark portfolio and support trade-secret strategy and protection
Risk & Transactions
FTO & Counseling: Conduct and lead freedom-to-operate, patentability, validity, and infringement analyses, and counsel scientific and business colleagues on data-use agreements and use of open-source software, AI models, and third-party datasets
Due Diligence: Support IP due diligence for partnerships, collaborations, and financing transactions
Invention Capture & Operations
Embed with R&D: Identify and protect patentable innovations by partnering with research teams to establish systematic invention capture workflows and reviewing upcoming publications to prevent premature disclosure
Outside Counsel & Budget: Manage outside counsel, foreign associates, and the IP budget; prepare IP strategy and portfolio reviews for leadership
Docket Discipline: Maintain docket and information-disclosure-statement (IDS) discipline in partnership with the IP paralegal
About You
Experience & Qualifications
Legal Credentials: J.D., active state bar membership, and USPTO registration (patent bar); this is an attorney role
Scientific Foundation: Ph.D. in a life-science field
Prosecution Depth: 8-10+ years as a patent attorney with substantial pharmaceutical/biopharma patent preparation and prosecution experience (in-house or firm), including written-description and enablement strategy
Both Sides of the Table: Experience on the innovator side (offensive claiming and moat-building) and the fast-follower side (FTO analysis and navigation, licensing, and secondary patents)
Full IP Toolkit: Breadth across patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyright, with exposure to handling IP in partnerships, licensing, and business transactions being a plus
Subject Matter Expertise: Deep expertise in nucleic-acid and/or antibody therapeutics and working knowledge of AI/ML methods and their application in drug discovery are both pluses
Technical Skills: Comfort using— or eagerness to learn — AI tools and workflows
Core Competencies
Strategic Translator: You convert shifts in patent law and the competitive landscape into concrete filing decisions that move fast enough to matter
Embedded Partner: You build trust with scientists and engineers, making invention capture feel like a natural part of how R&D works rather than a legal obligation
Operational Owner: You run a tight ship — docket, budget, outside counsel, and IDS discipline — without losing sight of the bigger strategic picture
Compensation & Benefits at insitro
Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $255,000 - $312,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.
This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.
Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com.
#LI-Hybrid
About insitro
insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.
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Listed by Insitro for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Senior Scientist, Cardiac Modeling
Location
South San Francisco, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Department
Therapeutic Areas
Overview
Application
The Opportunity
insitro is a physical AI company dedicated to unlocking causal human biology and accelerating the delivery of better medicines to patients. Our unique Virtual Human™ platform identifies novel, high-impact genetic intervention points, which our TherML™ platform translates into therapeutics—whether small molecules, biologics, or oligos. With multiple programs in metabolic disease and neuroscience advancing toward the clinic, and our first IND submission slated for the second half of this year, we are at a pivotal inflection point.
We are seeking a Senior Scientist to join our cardiac disease biology team. In this role, you will own the development and application of iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte (iPSC-CM) models to study the genetic and molecular underpinnings of cardiovascular disease — working at the intersection of human stem cell biology, cardiac physiology, and scalable experimental platforms to generate the datasets that fuel our ML-driven drug discovery efforts. You will design and execute experiments, optimize differentiation and assay workflows, and partner closely with ML scientists, computational biologists, and chemists to connect cellular phenotypes to disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Based in South San Francisco, this position reports directly to Vice President, Cardiometabolic Disease - Translational Genetics and requires you to be onsite at our South San Francisco office 5 days per week.
Responsibilities
iPSC-CM Platform & Model Development
Differentiation & QC: Lead the generation, characterization, and maintenance of iPSC lines and their differentiation into cardiomyocytes, with rigorous quality control at each stage of the pipeline
2D & 3D Formats: Design, implement, and optimize iPSC-CM assays in both 2D monolayer and 3D/engineered heart tissue (EHT) formats, with a focus on scalability and data quality
Genetic Disease Models: Build and apply isogenic iPSC-CM disease models — including CRISPR-edited lines carrying disease-associated variants — to study cardiovascular pathophysiology
Functional Assays & Disease Modeling
Functional Readouts: Develop readouts of cardiomyocyte biology relevant to disease —contractility, electrophysiology, calcium handling, stress responses — in formats compatible with high-throughput data acquisition
Rigor & Reproducibility: Drive documentation, SOPs, and data standards that ensure reproducible, publication-quality results across the cardiac biology platform
ML & Cross-functional Partnership
Experiment Design for ML: Partner with ML and computational biology teams to design experiments that generate high-quality training data and to interpret model outputs in biological context
Target Identification: Contribute to target identification and validation efforts by connecting cellular phenotypes to human genetic evidence
Scientific Leadership
Mentorship: Mentor junior scientists and technicians, and contribute to a collaborative, scientifically rigorous team culture
About You
Experience & Qualifications
Advanced Degree: Ph.D. in cell biology, biomedical engineering, cardiac physiology, or a related field, with at least 3 years of industry experience
iPSC-CM Expertise: Deep hands-on experience in iPSC culture, cardiac directed differentiation, and iPSC-CM characterization across both 2D and 3D/EHT platforms
Genetic Disease Modeling: Track record building and applying genetic iPSC-CM disease models — patient-derived lines, CRISPR-edited isogenic pairs — to study cardiovascular mechanisms
Cardiovascular Biology: Strong foundational knowledge of cardiomyocyte biology and cardiovascular disease
High-Content Imaging: Experience with high-content imaging and/or automated microscopy platforms, including image analysis pipelines
Human Genetics: Familiarity with GWAS and human genetic evidence, and experience using these data to prioritize disease mechanisms or therapeutic targets
Scientific Communication: Track record of executing rigorous experiments and communicating findings clearly in publications, presentations, or internal reports
Core Competencies
ML Curiosity: You're enthusiastic about working alongside ML scientists and understand how experimental design shapes what a model can learn
Builder Mentality: You thrive building systems from the ground up and bring the same rigor to a new workflow as to a published experiment
Cross-functional Collaborator: You work fluidly across biology, computation, and chemistry, and communicate clearly across disciplines
Independent & Adaptive: You drive projects forward independently in a fast-paced environment while staying aligned with team priorities
Compensation & Benefits at insitro
Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $156,000 - $166,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.
This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.
Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com.
#LI-Onsite
About insitro
insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.
Apply for this Job
Powered by
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Listed by Insitro for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
The unprecedented convergence of multi-modal data, advanced disease modeling, and computational power is revolutionizing drug discovery. insitro is harnessing this moment to redefine how medicines are developed for complex diseases. Our AI/ML-enabled platforms integrate and scale data to rapidly discover novel biological insights to redefine complex diseases and identify new targets and drugs. To enable this vision we are seeking an Sr. Manager (Associate Director) of Project and Portfolio Management who will help our project teams to discover and advance exciting drug candidates into the clinic for neurological or metabolic indications.
Reporting into the Head of Project and Portfolio Management (PPM), you will partner with project team leaders in developing rightsized project strategy and create a successful team environment with a high-level of performance. You will develop and execute high quality integrated project plans with clear timelines spanning research, discovery, clinical development, software engineering, and data science/machine learning. As part of PPM you will also be a part of establishing and improving project management tools and methodologies across our portfolio to support critical initiatives.
This role can be either hybrid coming onsite to our South San Francisco headquarters or remote with travel to the office as work necessitates; local candidates will have the option of a hybrid approach with three days per week in the office.
About You
BS degree required in a life science field, MS or PhD preferred
Minimum of 5 years of experience (8 years for Assoc Dir) in biotech/pharmaceutical industry in the early development space, including 2+ years (5+ for Assoc Dir) in project/portfolio leadership leading cross-functional matrix teams
Extensive knowledge of the drug development process and deliverables at each stage of the pipeline, with deep experience in translational stages, target discovery, early commercial assessment and preliminary clinical development
Excellent Project Management Skills – driving execution while balancing speed, quality, and cost including proficiency with project management tools and software e.g., critical path analyses and scenario planning (project management certification preferred)
Ability to strategically analyze and summarize complex information into important concepts for broader communication including to senior leaders
Deep experience leading matrix team meetings to enable collaboration, decision-making, and alignment with internal and external customers while leading all aspects of project scope, deliverables, risks, and resources
Ability to resolve complex cross-functional problems while building and maintaining positive working relationships with collaborators
Familiarity with high-content human data modalities (e.g., genetics/genomics, histopathological imaging, spatial biology), data generation technologies and familiarity with computational methods that are relevant to biomedical informatics, clinical informatics, statistical genetics, and medical genetics
Nice to Have
Project Management Certification (PMP or equivalent)
Familiarity with Google suite and Smartsheets strongly preferred
Prior use of generative AI tools / LLM technologies in day-to-day work (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)
Understanding of high-content human data modalities (e.g., genetics/genomics, histopathological imaging, spatial biology) and data generation technologies
Familiarity with and passion about machine learning enabled drug discovery
Compensation & Benefits at insitro
Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $164,000 - $204,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.
This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.
Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at .
#LI-Hybrid
About insitro
insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.
Listed by Insitro for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Senior Manager, Imaging Machine Learning
Location
South San Francisco, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Department
Data Science and Machine Learning
Overview
Application
The Opportunity
insitro's mission is to bring better drugs faster to patients who can benefit most, through machine learning and data at scale. Our discovery strategy integrates insights from multiple phenotypic readouts across diverse high-content data modalities, including data from public and proprietary human cohorts and in vitro cellular systems generated by our proprietary, automated wet-lab platforms.
In this role, you will lead and grow a team of exceptional machine learning researchers responsible for co-developing methods for extracting information from in-vitro biology using computer vision and machine learning. You will lead an established team of 5 machine learning scientists, several at the Staff level, and be expected to grow it over time. Your team will partner closely with laboratory scientists to develop biological assays in a tight loop, iterating sample preparation protocols and feature extraction methods in tandem. As the manager of this team, you will be responsible for structuring these collaborations in ways that ensure the success of all teams, and your individual team members, as measured by our ability to drive insitro's therapeutic programs forward through understanding of causal human biology.
In addition to working closely with the lab, you and your team will partner closely with our imaging software team, responsible for co-developing and scaling methods your team develops, and computational biologists who will subsequently leverage these tools to extract program-level insights in conjunction with omics (perturb-seq) and clinical insights. As the leader of a team of researchers within the AI/ML organization, you will be expected to remain abreast of the evolving field of in-vitro screening. You will report to the Director of Imaging, Cellular Machine Learning. This is a hybrid position that requires you to be in our South San Francisco headquarters at least three days per week. Join us, and help make a difference to patients!
Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of outstanding machine learning scientists to co-develop methods of extracting insights from in-vitro microscopy datasets
Work closely with laboratory leadership to structure assay development efforts, and empower members of your team to co-develop in-vitro microscopy assays suitable for genetic perturbation screening, often at whole-genome scale
Ensure the successful translation of assays you develop to insitro’s computational biology team, who will leverage the assays your teams develop to investigate causal biology through the integration of diverse data modalities, including microscopy
Co-develop the product vision for insitro’s industry-leading imaging software platform, and continue to support its development through method de-risking and translational development through adherence to established processes for contribution
Develop methods of measuring and qualifying microscopy data prior to model training and inference, including those which leverage agentic frameworks, VLMs, and self-supervised classification
Stay abreast of industrial trends and scientific literature in order to ensure insitro’s methods remain industry-leading and correctly matched to our applications.
Set yearly and quarterly strategic roadmaps for platform, set tactical goals for your team, and align with cross-functional stakeholders on a regular basis
Work shoulder-to-shoulder with your team where appropriate, participating in method/code review and authorship to model effective execution and cover gaps
About You
Strong grounding in computer vision and machine learning fundamentals, with practical judgment about where these methods work and where they fail
Demonstrated experience applying CV/ML to pixel data to extract quantitative features and downstream biological insight
Working understanding of imaging principles — image formation, microscopy fundamentals, and the artifacts that arise from instruments and sample preparation
Hands-on experience with cellular imaging datasets (e.g. fluorescence/confocal or label-free microscopy)
3+ years of people management, including solid-line management of multiple ICs and at least one senior (Staff-level) scientist or engineer
Track record of mentoring and growing technical talent day-to-day
Technical leadership as a decision-maker on projects, platforms, or teams
Strong communication and the ability to collaborate across functions, including with experimental and clinical life scientists
Nice To Have
Experience across additional high-content modalities: temporal phenotyping, spatial proteomics, single-cell or bulk omics, or pooled optical (in-situ) screening
Familiarity with genetic perturbation screening, ideally at genome scale
Experience with data-quality methods for imaging — agentic frameworks, VLMs, or self-supervised approaches for QC and classification
Conversational understanding of a relevant disease area (neuroscience, metabolic disease, or cancer biology)
Experience contributing to or shaping an imaging/CV software platform
Compensation & Benefits at insitro
Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $247,000 - $262,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.
This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.
Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com.
#LI-Hybrid
About insitro
insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.
Apply for this Job
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Listed by Insitro for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Scientist II, Arrayed Screening
Location
South San Francisco, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Department
Technical Operations
Overview
Application
The Opportunity
The unprecedented convergence of multi-modal data and AI has the potential to revolutionize drug discovery. insitro is harnessing this moment to redefine how medicines are developed for complex diseases. Our success depends on our ability to attract, develop, inspire, and retain amazing, diverse talent and build a collaborative, high-performing, inclusive, and equitable culture.
insitro is seeking a highly motivated Scientist II, Arrayed Screening to join our experimental biology and screening organization. In this role, you will help build, optimize, and execute high-throughput arrayed screening workflows that generate high-quality, decision-grade biological datasets for drug discovery. This is a highly collaborative role at the interface of cell biology, assay development, automated screening, disease modeling, and machine learning. You will work closely with biologists, bioengineers, automation scientists, data scientists, machine learning scientists, and drug discovery teams to design and run scalable cell-based and biochemical assays across therapeutic programs.
The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on experience in cell-based assay development, high-throughput screening, mammalian cell culture, and quantitative data analysis, and is excited to generate robust biological data that can power ML-driven drug discovery. This role reports to the Director, High Throughput Biology and requires you to be onsite at our South San Francisco office 5 days per week.
Responsibilities
Develop, optimize, and execute arrayed screening assays in 96- and 384-well plate formats, including endpoint, kinetic, imaging-based, and/or biochemical readouts.
Design and implement cell-based screening workflows using immortalized, primary, iPSC-derived, or engineered cellular models.
Support small-molecule, genetic, and/or perturbational screening efforts, including assay development, target validation, mechanism-of-action studies, and screening campaigns.
Partner with automation and process engineering teams to scale assays using liquid handlers and screening platforms such as Echo, Hamilton, Bravo, Tecan, or similar systems.
Analyze screening and assay data using appropriate statistical and visualization tools; identify trends, troubleshoot assay performance, and communicate results clearly.
Collaborate with ML and data science teams to ensure experiments generate reproducible, well-annotated, model-ready datasets.
Work cross-functionally with disease biology, genetics, cell modeling, and drug discovery teams to translate biological questions into scalable experimental designs.
Maintain rigorous documentation in Benchling/LIMS systems and contribute to best practices for assay robustness, reproducibility, and data quality.
Present experimental plans, results, and recommendations to multidisciplinary project teams.
About You
PhD in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, bioengineering, chemical biology, or related fields. 2–5 years of relevant post-PhD or equivalent industry experience, with demonstrated independence in assay design and project leadership.
Strong hands-on experience developing and running cell-based assays in high-throughput plate formats.
Experience with high-content imaging, fluorescence/luminescence assays, viability assays, reporter assays, immunostaining, flow cytometry, or other quantitative cellular readouts.
Strong mammalian cell culture skills, including aseptic technique and experience with immortalized, primary, stem-cell-derived, or engineered cell systems.
Familiarity with molecular biology approaches such as cloning, CRISPR/gene editing, transgene expression, stable cell line generation, qPCR, or related methods.
Experience with screening automation and liquid handling platforms is strongly preferred.
Comfortable working with small molecules, biologics, siRNA/ASO, CRISPR reagents, or other perturbation modalities.
Ability to analyze, interpret, and clearly communicate complex biological datasets.
Experience with GraphPad Prism, Spotfire, Benchling, Python, or R. Familiarity with agents and LLM’s is a plus.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple experiments or project workstreams in parallel.
Strong collaborative mindset and enthusiasm for working in a multidisciplinary environment that brings together biology, engineering, data science, and machine learning.
What Will Make You Stand Out
Prior experience in biotech or pharma high-throughput screening.
Experience developing phenotypic assays for disease-relevant human cell models.
Experience generating datasets for machine learning, image analysis, or quantitative modeling.
Familiarity with assay miniaturization, automation troubleshooting, Z-factor / assay quality metrics, dose-response analysis, or screening data QC.
Experience working across therapeutic areas such as neuroscience, metabolic disease, oncology, immunology, or rare disease.
Compensation & Benefits at insitro
Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $136,000 - $145,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.
This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.
Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com.
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About insitro
insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.
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Listed by Insitro for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.