SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 164,000 - 205,000 / annual
Xaira Therapeutics is an AI-driven biotech startup developing generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics and foundation models for biology and disease. The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with additional offices in Seattle and London.
You will join the Biology & Pharmacology department as a Principal Scientist in Inflammation and Immunology, combining hands-on research expertise with strategic program leadership. This role is ideal for someone with deep experience in primary human and mouse immune cells and ex vivo tissue systems who is excited to shape therapeutic program strategy.
Key responsibilities include:
- Setting scientific direction for one or more therapeutic programs and generating new biology target ideas
- Defining research priorities, designing and overseeing in vitro and in vivo studies, and guiding decisions on disease biology, target validation, and lead candidate development
- Identifying knowledge gaps and shaping experimental strategy across multiple workstreams
- Translating experimental data into actionable insights for senior leadership and cross-functional teams
- Staying hands-on at the bench, personally designing, executing, and troubleshooting key experiments, particularly for high-priority or technically challenging studies
- Establishing cell cultures using human/mouse primary tissues for functional and phenotyping assays, including immune profiling with high-parameter flow cytometry (15+ colors) and molecular tools (ELISA, MSD, Luminex, qPCR, RNAseq)
- Serving as a scientific leader and mentor within the department, contributing to the technical development of junior scientists
Required qualifications:
- PhD in Immunology or related field with 6+ years of relevant experience
- Track record of impact through first-author publications and presentations
- Demonstrated ability to independently define research strategy and interpret data to guide program direction
- Strong expertise in in vitro and ex vivo immunology, including primary immune assays, co-culture systems, and high-parameter flow cytometry
- Proven ability to independently plan, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret experiments
- Clear communicator who can distill complex data into actionable insights
Preferred qualifications include single-cell RNA sequencing, CRISPR/Cas9, and omics data analysis experience. Comfort with AI tools to support research design and data analysis is valued.
