Scientist, Cell Biology & Assay Development

COMPANY

Octant is a clinical-stage drug discovery company developing correctors for protein misfolding diseases. Octant’s platform, The Navigator, combines high-throughput synthetic biology, generative chemistry, and AI/ML to discover and develop therapeutics against complex cellular mechanisms in human cells.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Octant is looking for a Scientist with a strong background in molecular biology, cell engineering, and high-throughput screening who is excited to build the assays that move small-molecule corrector programs toward the clinic. You will join our lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) team, working on two small-molecule corrector programs: Fabry disease and an additional target. You will design and run cell-based assays that characterize our correctors, confirm their target pharmacology, and measure how they act across hundreds to thousands of disease-associated variants. The data you generate will directly inform which molecules advance, shape the direction of active drug discovery programs, and support regulatory filings.

You are motivated by Octant's mission and have a team-first mindset. You bring deep expertise in assay development, excellent communication, and an ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Although the day-to-day work is centered on mammalian cells, what matters most to us is a strong track record of designing mechanistic assays, and we welcome candidates trained in molecular biology, cell biology, chemical biology, biochemistry, or related fields. You use AI tools as a routine part of your work, from analyzing data and building workflows to getting up to speed on new biology.

AS A PART OF OCTANT'S LSD TEAM, YOU'LL:

Design, develop, and validate cell-based assays that characterize small-molecule correctors for Fabry disease and an additional target and verify their target pharmacology, using plate-reader, high-content imaging, and flow cytometry readouts

Engineer mammalian cell models, including reporter lines, knock-in/knock-out lines, and variant libraries, using cloning and genome engineering, and adapt assays to disease-relevant primary cells

Characterize corrector response across disease variants at scale using both arrayed and pooled formats, including deep mutational scanning (DMS) with NGS-based readouts

Transition assays from development into high throughput production - either running them directly or handing them off with clear, reproducible SOPs - to support weekly design-make-test-learn cycles with our chemistry and ML teams

Analyze, QC, and interpret your data, using AI tools to accelerate analysis, automate workflows, and synthesize the literature

Contribute to study reports and documentation supporting regulatory submissions, including IND-enabling packages

Work hand-in-hand with biologists, chemists, machine learning scientists, and automation engineers

THIS JOB MIGHT BE GREAT FOR YOU IF YOU:

Have a PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Genetics, or a related field, with 0–2 years of postdoctoral or industry experience; an MS with 6+ years of industry experience; or a BS/BA with 8+ years of industry experience

Have a strong track record of designing mechanistic assays that answer clear biological questions

Have hands-on experience with some or all of: molecular biology and cloning, mammalian cell culture, and cell engineering (e.g., lentiviral delivery, CRISPR-based editing, stable cell line generation)

Have developed and run assays in one or more of the following formats: flow cytometry, imaging, plate-reader assays, or NGS-based readouts

Have experience with high-throughput or pooled screening (e.g., arrayed compound screens, DMS, or CRISPR screens); experience with liquid-handling automation is a plus

Are familiar with protein folding and trafficking, lysosomal biology, or Fabry disease (a plus, not required)

Are comfortable analyzing data in Python or R, and actively use AI tools (e.g., LLM assistants and coding agents) for data analysis, workflow generation, and knowledge work

Keep careful, well-documented records suitable for data that may support regulatory filings

Enjoy working seamlessly across functions

Are detail-oriented and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, team-oriented startup environment

Optional: Along with your application, please share a paper/preprint/software repo that best highlights your strengths so we can better understand the work you've led. If there is nothing public, please summarize that work in a few paragraphs. We'd love to also hear about things you've been proud to build or lead outside of science.

The expected annual base salary for this role is in the range of $128,000 to $140,000, depending on experience level. We offer competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage, equity, and 401(k) matching.

Octant is located in Emeryville, California and we work onsite.

Octant is an equal opportunity company that values applicants of all backgrounds. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment. We value less traditional backgrounds, and may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. We know that confidence-gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply — we’d love to hear from you.

OCTANT’S NAVIGATOR PLATFORM:

Octant’s Platform, “The Navigator,” accelerates the design, build, test, and learn iterations across chemistry and biology to build drugs against cellular mechanisms. The Navigator is an expanding set of drug discovery and development capabilities with three interwoven components that operate together:

Generative Biology – Multiplexed measurements from engineered sensors in human cells to understand cellular mechanisms

Generative Chemistry – Nanoliter-scale chemical synthesis for rapid exploration of local & targeted chemical space

Generative AI – ML/AI ingests large-scale biological and chemical datasets and drives iteration of experiments to build better molecules faster

Together, the Navigator platform drives week-to-week progress on our drug programs, generating 3M+ readouts each week across multiple therapeutic areas.