Sr. Scientist (Temporary)

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

Position Overview 

As a contractor in the Computational Biology Department, you will play a key role in analyzing bulk/single cell RNA-seq and other novel NGS assays in support of drug discovery programs. You will work closely with wet-lab scientists to optimize experimental design, ensuring that studies are statistically rigorous and technically sound. Your primary responsibilities will include gene expression differential analysis, performing quality control on a variety of sequencing data experiment types, and translating complex biological questions into quantitative analyses. You may also build, maintain, or run computational pipelines using Bash and Nextflow to enhance scalability and reproducibility. Starting immediately, the duration of the assignment is through October 2025, and you must be available to work on-site in South San Francisco or Seattle.

About You

You have a strong background in statistics and multiple years of experience with RNA-seq analysis. You are highly proficient in R and have experience working with packages such as dplyr, DESeq2, edgeR, and the tidyverse. You also understand and know how to manage next generation sequencing pipelines. You enjoy collaborating with wet-lab scientists and providing guidance on best practices for study design and data interpretation. You are eager to wear many hats for the full duration of the time period.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform QC of sequencing and alignment data, critically reviewing MultiQC and other metrics specific to the type of NGS data collected.
• Conduct RNA-seq analysis using DESeq2 and other appropriate methods, handling both UMI-based and non-UMI data, while accounting for experimental factors such as batch effects.
• Build and maintain bioinformatics pipelines using Bash and Nextflow to ensure scalability, reproducibility, and efficiency.
• Apply generalized linear models (GLMs) and random effects models for differential expression analysis.
• Support diverse drug programs through computational and statistical analyses.
• Advise wet-lab scientists on experimental design and plate layout, minimizing technical artifacts and facilitating experimental comparisons of interest.
• Develop and optimize statistical models and hypothesis tests to extract meaningful insights from gene expression data.
• Clearly explain statistical and experimental design concepts to interdisciplinary teams, including wet-lab scientists and project stakeholders.
• Contribute to presentations, reports, and publications summarizing methods and key findings.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Biostatistics, Statistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field, with 2-10 years of post-graduate experience in statistical modeling and RNA-seq analysis.
• Strong proficiency in R and Python, including experience with scanpy, DESeq2, edgeR, dplyr, and tidyverse for statistical modeling and data analysis.
• Experience with bulk RNA-seq data analysis, including QC, normalization, and differential expression analysis.
• Proficiency in Bash scripting and experience with Nextflow for building computational workflows.
• Solid understanding of generalized linear models (GLMs), random effects models, and experimental design principles.
• Strong ability to collaborate with wet-lab scientists, advising on plate layout, controls, and experimental contrasts.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate biological questions into quantifiable hypothesis tests and analyses.
• Experience working in a biotech or pharmaceutical setting, supporting drug discovery programs.
• Familiarity with Bayesian methods, mixed models, and hierarchical modeling.
• Proficiency in Git for version control and reproducibility.
• Familiarity with cloud computing environments (e.g., AWS, GCP) for large-scale data analysis.
• Prior experience presenting complex computational analyses to diverse audiences.

Compensation

The base pay range for this contract temp position is expected to be $62.50-$74.00 hourly; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience.

Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.

TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: Xaira Therapeutics does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or employees. Xaira Therapeutics is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.