Molecular Design & DNA Nanotechnology Lead

Molecular Design & DNA Nanotechnology Lead

The Astera Institute is seeking a Molecular Design & DNA Nanotechnology Lead to lead the design and wet-lab fabrication of a DNA-origami electrostatic actuator — a charged origami plate/polymer/electrode stack that, driven by an applied field, produces controlled nanometer-scale motion through a force-transmitting linkage. This position reports to Dr. Jeremy Barton (Astera Institute Resident, Project Lead). This is a full-time position.

Responsibilities include:

• Design the DNA-origami actuator mechanism — the charged drive plate, the force-transmitting structure, and the amplifying lever or four-bar linkage — that turns a small electrostatic deflection of the plate into a larger, controlled output displacement within a sub-200-nanometer footprint.
• Use coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulation (e.g., oxDNA) to predict the mechanism's mechanical behavior — stiffness, compliance, and thermal stability of its motion — and iterate the design.
• Fold and optimize the DNA origami in the wet lab (annealing, buffer, and magnesium conditions), and design the site-specific chemistry that anchors the plate and mechanism to the device surface.
• Own folding yield and quality control, and prepare structures for characterization by atomic-force microscopy (AFM), cryo-electron microscopy, and single-molecule fluorescence.
• Lead a small, interdisciplinary founding team and collaborate closely with device-physics, controls, and computational colleagues.

Qualifications and experience include:

• PhD in structural DNA nanotechnology, biophysics, bioengineering, chemistry, or a related field, with demonstrated DNA-origami design and folding experience.
• Proficiency with DNA-nanostructure design tools and coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulation (e.g., caDNAno, oxDNA).
• Hands-on wet-lab command of folding, gel and AFM quality control, and purification.
• A track record of taking nanoscale structures from design through to characterized, functional devices.
• Ability to lead a small interdisciplinary team and communicate across disciplines.

This position is on site at our office in Emeryville, CA. Some travel may be required from time-to-time for in-person collaboration and work.

The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience and location.

Cultural alignment includes:

• Bias to action – you launch and iterate on thoughtful experiments rather than waiting for perfect plans, and you're energized by novel problems.
• Flexible by default – you don't draw hard lines around your job description and expect your role to evolve significantly over 6–12 months.
• High standards, internally driven – you hold yourself to the bar of building world-class public goods without benchmarking against others.
• Operate with the highest levels of integrity, judgment, and stewardship – you treat residents, peers, and vendors with genuine respect for their time and contributions.
• Embrace the tools that define great work today – Astera is building for an AI-driven future and equips the team accordingly; we see these as genuine force multipliers, not optional extras.