Computational Structural Biology Graduate Student Intern

Septerna is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, CA on a mission to develop life-changing medicines for patients with the vision to become the industry-leading G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused drug discovery company. The company’s Native Complex Platform™ recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular context. This approach enables novel access to modern structural and screening technologies used in industrial-scale drug discovery for the entire class of GPCRs. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR-targeted small molecule programs with potential for growth to target many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date.

We are excited to expand our multidisciplinary team of individuals focused on creating revolutionary medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. At Septerna we strive to embrace diversity of thought, expertise, and background through collaboration. To join our ambitious team, be prepared to bring your real self to work every day; grow and learn from a talented team of drug hunters, scientists, and business professionals; and contribute your passion, creativity, and energy to accomplish our mission. We share a fearless pursuit of ground-breaking innovations and cultivate an environment where our employees succeed by learning from each other and working as a team.

We are committed to the development of meaningful therapeutics for patients with indications of high unmet need. This is a tremendous opportunity to work with talented individuals on the frontlines of therapeutic discovery and development. You will directly help move therapies through preclinical research, positioning them for success in the clinic. The successful candidate will add their passion, unique talents, and expertise to a dynamic team motivated to discover new disease-modifying therapeutics for patients in a fast-paced environment.

For more information see: www.septerna.com.

About The Role

Our intern program provides opportunities for hands-on research experience, coaching and mentoring, and networking.

The computational structural biology team is leveraging state-of-the-art ML-based software to design proteins with specific functions. This position will apply experience in protein engineering/design to evaluate designed protein with available computational tools and participate in experimental validation on the designs.

The internship start date is May or June 2025 and will take place over 12 weeks on-site in South San Francisco.

Opportunity 

• Plan, execute, and optimize routes to synthesize and characterize novel bioactive small molecules.
• Take ownership of challenging and impactful projects.
• Work alongside exceptional scientists in the field of GPCR drug discovery.
• Participate in weekly project team meetings.
• Provide a final presentation of project work to senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Master/PhD (enrolled student) in protein biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, or related field.
• Prior hands-on research lab experience in computational biology/chemical biology/protein biochemistry including
• Authorized to work in the U.S. i.e. (applicants who require employer sponsored visas now or in the future are not eligible to apply)
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Ability to complete 12 consecutive weeks between May and September on-site in South San Francisco.
• Enrolled currently in graduate degree at an accredited college/university and returning to the University/and or College following the internship
• Strict adherence to lab safety rules and regulations

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to read and digest scientific literature.
• Strong organizational, project management, problem solving, analytical and quantitative skills.
• Prior experience with computational biology and/or protein engineering
• Experience with computational protein design tools, such as Rosetta.
• Experience working in a Linux environment and the ability to script or code for batch data analysis.
• Experience with PyMol, Chimera, and other software for protein structure visualization.
• Prior lab experience is highly desired, and could include, but is not limited to the following:
• Experience with yeast/phage/ribosome display techniques.
• Experience with recombinant protein expression and cell cultures.
• Experience protein purification, particularly membrane proteins.
• Experience with biochemical assays.

Relocation benefits are not available for this job posting.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of South San Francisco, CA is $35.00-$45.00 per hour. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This position also qualifies for paid holiday time off benefits.

Application deadline: February 21, 2025

COVID policy:
If selected, the intern is expected to provide evidence of COVID vaccinations (initial series + booster) or ensure full vaccination status is achieved by the start date. The intern will be mandated to adhere to Septerna COVID policies, which may be subject to change in response to changing infection rates/emerging variants.