---
title: 'Research Assistant - Structural Bioinformatics (CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS) at Astera Institute'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/research-assistant-structural-bioinformatics-currently-not-accepting-xnv6zgks9dvm'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-13'
---

# Research Assistant - Structural Bioinformatics (CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS) at Astera Institute

- **Company:** Astera Institute
- **Location:** Emeryville, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-07-07
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/astera/cded582c-8965-4795-968c-c632a5112e82

## Job description

About Astera: Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive progress. We have committed a $3.5B endowment to that work and fit the form of our support to the function it serves: grants, investments, and in-house research programs. We accept meaningful risk in the research we back and expect some of it to fail because transformative ideas are rarely the ones already proven. Our projects, and the foundation itself, operate like high-velocity startups, with a high performance bar and competitive compensation to match. We are searching for leaders who are compelled by the challenge of driving high-impact change in the way science is funded, conducted, and communicated. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming at [astera.org/vision](http://astera.org/vision).

About Prism: Prism is a program within Radial, the basic life sciences division of the Astera Institute. We are making protein motion measurable, predictable, and actionable by building open infrastructure for studying protein dynamics directly from experimental data. Function emerges from the ensemble of conformations a protein adopts and how it moves between them, and we are rebuilding the structural biology stack around that premise: data collection, modeling, representation, and interpretation. We work at the interface of experimental structural biology (crystallography, cryo-EM), machine learning, computational biophysics, and open scientific tooling. Our team spans computational biologists, ML researchers, software engineers, and program staff, collaborating across Radial, Astera, and partner institutions.

## Key Responsibilities

- Maintain and run bioinformatic pipelines for structural data processing, curation, and quality control.
- Support development and benchmarking of validation metrics against experimental datasets.
- Assist with data deposition, formatting, and documentation to meet community data standards.
- Help prepare datasets, figures, and summaries for publications, reports, and presentations.
- Coordinate with Scientists and engineers on routine data management tasks and troubleshooting.

Required Skills and Qualifications

- BS or MS in bioinformatics, structural biology, computational biology, or a related field.
- Working proficiency in Python and familiarity with structural file formats (PDB, mmCIF, mtz).
- Strong organizational skills and close attention to detail in data handling.
- Comfortable working across computational and experimental teams in a research setting.
- Preferred: exposure to crystallography or cryo-EM data processing; familiarity with PDB, EMDB, or related databases.

## Compensation

Commensurate with experience.

- [Benefits summary](https://app.notion.com/p/Astera-Benefits-Summary-Residents-and-Temporary-Staff-30caa1d01f248091ab8be9eaed84f998?source=copy_link)

## About Astera Institute

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Astera Institute is a nonprofit organization that funds and conducts high-impact scientific research and engineering projects focused on neuroscience, artificial general intelligence (AGI), and open science to accelerate positive futures for humanity.
- **Entity Type**: Private nonprofit (501(c)(3) private foundation)
- **Headquarters**: Berkeley, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Jed McCaleb (also co-founder of Stellar Development Foundation and founder of Vast)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Research services, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, life sciences, grantmaking
- **Target customers**: Not applicable (nonprofit; serves the research community and the public through open science and foundational advances)
- **Mission / purpose**: Empower visionary, high-leverage science and technology projects with the capacity to create transformative progress for human civilization. Focus on areas like AGI, science, and climate that lack natural homes in the existing innovation ecosystem.

## Products & Services
Astera operates three main divisions (not commercial products):
- **Neuro & AGI**: Directed neuroscience and AI research effort to understand biological intelligence and engineer safe, successful general intelligence systems. [astera.org](https://astera.org/)
- **Radial**: Life sciences research division that funds and runs high-impact fundamental scientific challenges, testing new models for how science is conducted. [astera.org](https://astera.org/)
- **Foundation**: Centralized operational, financial support, and ecosystem-building for Neuro-AI, Science, and Strategic Investments. Also leads Residency and Fellowship programs. [astera.org](https://astera.org/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not applicable (nonprofit)
- **Key Metrics**: 
  - **Total assets** (2023): $2,003,858,714 [causeiq.com](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/astera-institute,845162617/)
  - **Total expenses** (2023): $27,504,754 [causeiq.com](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/astera-institute,845162617/)
  - **Investment income and dividends** (2023): $58,598,494 [causeiq.com](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/astera-institute,845162617/)
  - **Headcount**: 55 employees (+63.4% YoY) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute)
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Funded primarily by founder Jed McCaleb (grants contributed $131M in 2022). Key leaders include Prachee Avasthi (Head of Open Science), Doris Tsao (Chief Scientist – Neuro), Seemay Chou (CEO – Radial), and Dileep George (Co-Founder, Neuro & AGI). [astera.org](https://astera.org/team/)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - 63.4% employee growth year-over-year (55 people) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute)
  - 23 active job postings (up 1050% YoY) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute)
  - LinkedIn followers grew 128.9% yearly [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute)
  - Presence in Netherlands and United Kingdom [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unique model**: Nonprofit foundation that internally incubates and directly funds high-risk, high-leverage research across neuroscience, AI, and life sciences — without the pressure of commercial returns.
- **Top-tier leadership**: Led by accomplished scientists (e.g., Doris Tsao, Dileep George) and experienced operators from organizations like Stellar, Google, and Arcadia Science. [astera.org](https://astera.org/team/)
- **Open science focus**: Strong commitment to open access research and new models for scientific collaboration, attracting talent who value transparency and impact.
- **Substantial capital base**: Over $2B in assets provides long-term runway for ambitious, multi-year projects.

## Strategic Focus
- Deepen understanding of biological intelligence through large-scale neural circuit analysis and causal manipulation (Neuro & AGI). [astera.org](https://astera.org/)
- Continue incubation of radical science projects via Radial, particularly in aging, biotech, and platforms. [causeiq.com](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/astera-institute,845162617/)
- Expand the Residency and Fellowship programs to attract diverse scientific and engineering talent. [astera.org](https://astera.org/)
- Scale operations and hiring: current job postings span roles from vivarium operations manager to research scientists in energy-based models and distributed simulation systems. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/astera)

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: Directly contribute to foundational research that could reshape humanity’s future with AGI and novel science.
- **Benefits**: Full-time W2 employees receive top-tier medical/dental/vision insurance, 403(b) retirement plans, long-term disability plan, health/dependent-care FSAs, and commuter pre-tax accounts. [astera.org](https://astera.org/careers/)
- **Culture**: Described as an equal opportunity employer committed to equity and inclusion, encouraging diverse applicants. Emphasis on open science, experimentation, and high-leverage impact. [astera.org](https://astera.org/careers/)
- **Work setup**: Headquarters in Berkeley, CA; also has staff in the Netherlands and UK. Specific remote/hybrid policy not disclosed but multiple job postings suggest flexible arrangements.
- **Team composition**: Highly technical and research-oriented (21 researchers, 10 technical staff, 6 medical). Staff previously from Google, Stanford, UCSF, Arcadia Science, Relay Therapeutics. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute)
- **Rapid growth**: 63% YoY headcount increase and 1050% growth in job postings signal an expanding organization with ample career opportunities.

## Sources
1. [astera.org](https://astera.org/) – Homepage and division descriptions
2. [astera.org](https://astera.org/team/) – Leadership team details
3. [astera.org](https://astera.org/careers/) – Benefits and culture
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-institute) – Company page with headcount, growth, job postings, and talent sources
5. [causeiq.com](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/astera-institute,845162617/) – Financials (990-PF: revenues, expenses, assets, program areas)
6. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/astera) – Active open positions list

## Other roles at Astera Institute

- [Administrative Assistant](https://feeny.ai/job/administrative-assistant-astera-institute-emeryville-0qk239d039tq) — Emeryville, CA
- [Founding Technical Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-technical-recruiter-astera-institute-emeryville-1dqbvewa4hca) — Emeryville, CA
- [Open Science Policy and Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/open-science-policy-and-operations-manager-astera-institute-emeryville-e9favr4btbyy) — Emeryville, CA
- [Probe Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/probe-engineer-astera-institute-alameda-v8cj3qr564xq) — Alameda, CA
- [Scientific Writer, Life Science (Radial)](https://feeny.ai/job/scientific-writer-life-science-radial-astera-institute-emeryville-fs8456g7v3fx) — Emeryville, CA
- [Principal AI Scientist (Polytope Bio)](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-ai-scientist-polytope-bio-astera-institute-remote-5wqeq3z45wdk)
- [Research Scientist, Multiregional Electrophysiology of Rodent Cognition](https://feeny.ai/job/research-scientist-multiregional-electrophysiology-of-rodent-cognition-astera-cqc9p1d3hhvq) — Alameda, CA
- [Research Scientist/Engineer, Deep Brain Two Photon Imaging and Optogenetics](https://feeny.ai/job/research-scientist-engineer-deep-brain-two-photon-imaging-and-optogenetics-67dzysn3hyam) — Alameda, CA
- [Research Scientist, All-Optical Investigation of Rodent Cognition](https://feeny.ai/job/research-scientist-all-optical-investigation-of-rodent-cognition-astera-6mt4g8pwc4hn) — Alameda, CA
- [Optical Engineer, Precision Instrumentation](https://feeny.ai/job/optical-engineer-precision-instrumentation-astera-institute-alameda-t3gpdst5ecvz) — Alameda, CA