AI Research Platform - Technical Lead

About Chai Discovery

Chai Discovery is re-architecting drug discovery by building frontier AI foundation models to design molecules.

The founding Chai team has brought together the leading researchers in this space, with seminal research accomplishments at top AI labs. The team has led AI-for-biology programs at premier labs, co-invented protein language modelling, built state-of-the-art folding algorithms, and sold AI adopted by top-10 pharma companies. The company is backed by top-tier investors, including OpenAI, Thrive Capital, Dimension, Conviction, Lachy Groom, Amplify, and many more.

We’re looking to add a few members to our team of scientists and engineers, who obsess over creating the most powerful AI models for antibody discovery, and turning them into products that can transform how medicines are made.

About the role

The Technical Lead will shape the core research engine of Chai. Leading a small team of scientist-engineers, you’ll drive AI research in one or more of the following areas: structure prediction, protein design, and lead optimization. translating computational innovations into practical applications, and guiding the team to tackle complex biological problems.

At Chai, we’re entering a pivotal stage. After years of foundational R&D, our models are moving beyond protein structure prediction and into real-world therapeutic engineering. We're now tasking our AI models on a broad spectrum of drug development challenges, at an exciting scale of wet-lab validation.

This is not a typical role — it’s a chance to push the boundaries of drug discovery by building some of the most advanced AI drug design models ever built.

About you

We’re seeking an AI Leader with rigorous research experience and desire to push the limits of what’s possible in therapeutic design and a restless drive to solve real-world problems and iterate quickly. You should have:

Significant research experience:

• Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or related discipline

• 5 + years post-Ph.D. research experience, including 2 + years guiding teams or mentoring junior scientists

• Strong publication record in top ML or computational-bio venues

Technical depth:

• Expert in deep-learning frameworks and large-scale training pipelines

• Hands-on experience with at least one of: structure prediction (proteins or complexes), generative protein/antibody design, or multi-objective lead optimization

Execution & collaboration:

• Proven ability to translate open-ended research ideas into shippable code, benchmarks, and documentation

• Comfortable partnering with wet-lab, platform, and business-development teams to align science with commercial milestones

• Strong communication skills, able to present technical roadmaps to execs, investors, and external collaborators

Mindset:

• Thrive in a fast-moving environment where the first answer is rarely the final one

• Motivated by turning breakthrough research into products that impact real therapeutic program

What we offer

• Frontier technology: we’re developing the next frontier of AI-driven drug discovery that will fundamentally change how new therapeutics are created.

• World-class team: opportunity to work with world-renowned leaders in the AI x biology and technology ecosystem who have created some of the most impactful advancements.

• Highly competitive compensation: we offer highly competitive salary, equity package, and healthcare and wellness benefits.

• Velocity and ownership: we move incredibly fast, which means continuous learning and career growth opportunities are a guarantee. Every team member owns a significant slice of the roadmap.

Strong team culture: Collaborative and supportive startup culture in a small and high-energy team who are guided by our mission to increase the efficiency of creating new medicines and positively impact millions of lives.