Principal Biologist

About the role

The Principal Biologist will help shape a rapidly expanding portfolio of small molecule programs across diverse therapeutic areas, starting with oncology and immuno-oncology. Working closely with the VP of biology and multidisciplinary teams, this role focuses on providing biological support to accelerate the discovery of clinical candidates.

Responsibilities

• Drive the identification, validation, and selection of novel biological targets aligned with clear unmet medical needs
• Contribute to early-stage project ideation by providing deep biological insight and a strong understanding of the drug discovery value chain
• Guide programs from early discovery into the AQEMIA pipeline, supporting progression toward proof of concept
• Design, implement, and maintain screening cascades to enable efficient compound evaluation and decision-making
• Partner with project teams to provide biological expertise, identify risks, and support data-driven prioritization
• Manage and collaborate with external CROs to define experimental strategies and ensure generation of high-quality, decision-enabling datasets
• Foster cross-functional collaboration, integrating biology with chemistry, modeling, and platform teams

Required skills

• Biology
• Small molecule drug discovery
• Oncology
• Immuno-oncology
• Experimental biology

Nice to have

• Contract Research Organization management
• Project management
• Portfolio management
• Translational biology
• Biomarker strategies

Qualifications

• PhD in biological sciences (e.g., pharmacology, molecular biology, chemical biology, biochemistry)
• Equivalent industry experience

About the Company

AQEMIA is a drug invention company dedicated to creating entirely new medicines to address major unmet medical needs. Their proprietary molecule-invention platform, QEMI, combines physics-based modeling, statistical mechanics, and generative AI to design novel drug candidates from first principles.