Scientist II, Functional Bioassays & High Throughput Screening at Generate Biomedicines (Somerville, MA)Scientist II, Functional Bioassays & High Throughput Screening

The Role:

The Functional Bioassays team is seeking a Scientist II to develop, optimize, and execute functional assays across Generate’s therapeutic portfolio. This bench-focused role will generate high-quality data to guide protein design and program decisions, including AI/ML-enabled design cycles.

The scientist will design, optimize, and troubleshoot biochemical and cell-based assays; execute high-throughput screening campaigns; analyze results; and support automation integration across programs. Work may include ion-channel, GPCR, ADC-related, and other functional assay platforms as portfolio needs evolve.

Approximately 80–90% of this role will be laboratory-based. The scientist will collaborate with colleagues across Therapeutics, Technology, and cross-functional program teams to deliver well-controlled data for iterative design-build-test-learn cycles.

This role is suited to a hands-on scientist with experience in functional assay development and high-throughput screening who can take ownership of experiments, communicate results clearly, and adapt to changing program needs.

Here's how you will contribute:

• Design, optimize, and implement high-throughput screening-compatible cell-based and biochemical assays, integrating automation where appropriate.
• Plan and execute plate-based high-throughput screening campaigns, analyze results, and interpret experimental datasets.
• Communicate findings to program teams to inform AI/ML-enabled design cycles, program decisions, and therapeutic optimization.
• Support high-throughput functional assay work across multiple therapeutic programs, with potential focus areas including ion channels, GPCRs, and ADC-related assays.
• Apply and expand expertise in novel functional assay technologies, including ion-channel and GPCR assays, as program needs evolve.
• Conduct experiments with attention to detail, scientific rigor, and adherence to established protocols.
• Troubleshoot assay performance, instrumentation, reagents, and workflows in partnership with senior scientists and Automation colleagues.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and well-organized records in electronic laboratory notebooks and other data systems.
• Prepare clear summaries of results for team discussions, program updates, and cross-functional meetings.
• Coordinate experiments with colleagues across Functional Bioassays, Automation, Biology, Protein Sciences, Data Science, and program teams.
• Follow laboratory safety practices, sample-handling requirements, data-integrity expectations, and Generate’s scientific standards.

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• PhD in cell biology, pharmacology, immunology, biochemistry, bioengineering, molecular biology, or a related discipline, with approximately 2+ years of industry or postdoctoral experience; or MS with approximately 5+ years of relevant industry or academic research experience; or BS with approximately 7+ years of relevant industry or academic research experience.
• Hands-on experience with cell-based, biochemical, and functional assays in an academic, biotech, pharmaceutical, or related research setting.
• Strong technical foundation in mammalian cell culture and plate-based assay workflows.
• Experience with plate-based assay technologies such as ELISA, HTRF, AlphaLISA, luminescence or fluorescence assays, flow cytometry, or similar methods.
• Experience designing, optimizing, and executing high-throughput screening in 384- or 1536-well formats for small molecules, biologics, or both, with appropriate controls and replicates, sound data quality, and clear documentation.
• Ability to recognize assay-performance or data-quality issues, investigate likely causes, and contribute to troubleshooting.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, matrixed research environment where priorities may shift across programs.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple experiments or workstreams.
• Ability to analyze and present data at scale using tools such as Spotfire, Dotmatics, ScreenWorks, Harmony, iQue Forecyt, or similar platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to summarize results, observations, and next steps clearly.
• Collaborative working style, accountability, curiosity, and adaptability when learning new assay formats, therapeutic areas, and technologies.

• Experience with ion-channel assays or related functional readouts, such as patch clamp, membrane-potential, thallium-flux assays, or electrophysiology workflows.
• Experience with GPCR assays, including reporter, calcium-flux, cAMP, IP-one, beta-arrestin, or other pathway-based functional assays.
• Experience with ADC, image-based internalization, targeted protein degradation, immune-cell, or cytotoxicity assay formats.
• Experience with organoid-based screening workflows.
• Experience working with primary cells, engineered cell lines, or stable cell-line generation.
• Experience with laboratory automation systems such as HighRes, Beckman Biomek i5/i7, Hamilton, EL406, Multidrop, or equivalent liquid-handling platforms.
• Interest in applying functional biology to AI/ML-enabled therapeutic discovery.

Who Will Love This Job:

This is an opportunity to join Generate’s Functional Bioassays team at a time of significant portfolio growth. As a Scientist II, you will play a hands-on role generating functional data that advances new therapeutic programs and supports rapid design-build-test-learn cycles. You will work on diverse biology, learn new assay platforms, collaborate across disciplines, and build expertise in assay development, high-throughput screening, automation, and drug discovery in a highly collaborative environment.

About Generate:Biomedicines

We are a clinical-stage generative biology company pioneering the AI revolution in drug design and development. We are advancing a new approach to drug creation—one grounded in the ability to design proteins with defined biological intent. By integrating machine learning with large-scale experimentation, this approach aims to reduce the uncertainty, time, and cost associated with developing protein-based medicines.

Founded in 2018, we are advancing a growing pipeline of clinical and preclinical programs across multiple disease areas and protein modalities. By unifying computational design and clinical development within a single operating model, we translate this approach into clinical-stage programs and are leading a shift from traditional drug discovery toward systematic drug generation.

At Generate:Biomedicines, we collaborate across disciplines in new ways to invent and innovate. We bring diverse perspectives to a shared goal of delivering better medicines to patients in need, faster, guided by our values and leadership behaviors.

Generate:Biomedicines is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Generate:Biomedicines does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Generate:Biomedicines or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by the Company’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Generate:Biomedicines and the Company will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

Compensation: The base salary range provided reflects our current estimate of what we anticipate paying for this position. Your actual base salary will be based on several factors, including job-related skills, experience, internal equity, relevant education or training, and market dynamics. In addition, you will be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and a competitive benefits package.

Per Year Salary Range $114,000—$150,000 USD