Principal Associate Scientst-Scientist-Display Platforms and Directed Evolution Antibody Discovery Berkeley, CA

Principal Associate Scientist / Scientist — Display Platforms & Directed Evolution

The heart of Prellis Bio's strategy is the combination of novel, cutting-edge methods in machine learning, biology at scale, and next-gen antibody discovery that address long-standing industry-wide problems in the drug development pipeline. Prellis Biologics uses proprietary technology to 3D print human lymph node organoids, enabling the rapid & diverse discovery of human antibody therapeutic candidates for a range of applications.

To drive this forward, we are assembling an incredible team of discovery biologists, computational scientists, and protein scientists who want to make a difference to this important problem.

We are seeking a Principal Associate Scientist or Scientist to join our dynamic team in support of our antibody engineering effort. You will lead discovery and enrichment of antibody hits through display platforms and directed evolution, and execute affinity-maturation campaigns to advance lead molecules. You will be responsible for:

• Leading display and directed evolution campaigns — from library construction through screening, selection, and hit characterization — to drive discovery, enrichment, and affinity maturation of antibody candidates.
• Expanding our display platform portfolio — deploying new display formats (yeast, phage, mammalian, ribosome), screening strategies for challenging targets, and diversity library approaches to enable next-generation antibody discovery.
• Screening AI/ML-designed variants at scale — executing display campaigns that test ML-designed antibody variants and generate high-quality datasets to inform Prellis's next-generation antibody design models, in close partnership with the Data Science team.

This role sits within a highly cross-functional High Throughput Discovery group, with significant opportunities to grow and take on new responsibilities. The ideal candidate will thrive in a dynamic, hands-on environment and play a critical role in delivering life-changing therapeutics.

Responsibilities include:

• Scope, build, deploy, and execute display and directed evolution campaigns (yeast, phage, mammalian, ribosome, or comparable) for hit discovery, enrichment, and affinity maturation of lead molecules — both independently and collaboratively with up- and downstream teams to achieve program goals.
• Lead the design and sourcing of diversity libraries for display campaigns — including collaboration with internal computational design and program teams, construction and QC of libraries, and scoping/outsourcing of library construction.
• Scope and deploy methods and tools to screen against challenging targets.
• Deploy and scale automation (Biomek, Lynx, Hamilton, or similar) to accelerate display campaigns and library QC.
• Partner with Data Science / AI/ML on library design and hit-to-lead optimization — executing display screens on ML-designed variants and leveraging computational models to inform display strategies.
• Partner closely with the Antibody Protein Engineering team on hit-to-lead transitions and lead-molecule optimization campaigns.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging display platforms and directed evolution methods to expand Prellis's engineering capabilities.
• Drive and/or facilitate downstream characterization of optimized antibodies, including detailed biophysical and functional characterization.

Qualifications include:

• Scientist (PhD + 2+ years relevant industry experience) or Principal Associate Scientist (BSc/MSc + 5+ years direct relevant industry experience) in molecular/cell biology, biochemistry, immunology, or related discipline.
• Hands-on experience developing and deploying display platforms (yeast, phage, mammalian, ribosome, or comparable) for antibody discovery and improvement.
• Hands-on experience scoping, designing, and constructing diversity libraries for antibody engineering and improvement; working understanding of current state-of-the-art methods and products regarding diversity libraries.
• Familiarity with directed evolution methods (site-directed, error-prone, CDR-walking, continuous evolution / PACE / Ortho Rep, or comparable).
• Skilled in DNA assembly, cloning,…