Scientist​/Senior Scientist; Computational Biologist; CVMD Target Discovery & Validation

About NATi:

The Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi), hosted by A
* STAR, is Singapore’s national platform dedicated to advancing RNA-based medicines and transforming drug and vaccine development. NATi’s mission is to establish Singapore as a globally recognised hub for nucleic acid therapeutics spanning discovery, clinical translation, and commercialisation.

NATi focuses on key RNA modalities including siRNA, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and mRNA, and is building a biotech-style translational engine to drive target discovery, asset creation, and technology innovation across high-impact disease areas.

We are seeking an experienced Scientist/ Senior Scientist – Target Discovery & Validation with deep expertise in human disease biology and target discovery to lead the identification and validation of novel targets druggable with RNA modalities for MASH, obesity, and metabolic diseases. This role provides scientific leadership for early-stage target identification and validation using human genetics, multi-omics, and disease biology–driven approaches.

The successful candidate will translate computational and multi-omics outputs into clear biological hypotheses and actionable, prioritised targets suitable for RNA therapeutics development.

• Lead Target Discovery:
  Own and advance a rolling portfolio of genetically and mechanistically supported targets for RNA therapeutics in MASH, obesity, and metabolic disorders, ensuring alignment with strategic and translational goals
• Translate Human Data into Actionable Biology:
  Translate and integrate human genetics , real world evidence and multi‑omics datasets to generate clear, testable hypotheses, mechanistic rationales, and strategies that link target modulation to clinically meaningful outcomes.
• Decision-Grade Target Selection:
  Establish and apply a standardised computational target ranking framework that supports transparent go / no-go decisions and reduces downstream attrition.
• Cross-Functional Leadership:
  Serve as the scientific decision owner for target discovery, bridging and aligning bioinformatics, biology, and pharmacology teams to ensure computational findings are translated into shared milestones, actionable hypotheses, and clear success criteria.
• Define and Execute Target Enablement & Validation Strategies:
  Design and oversee fit‑for‑purpose validation plans using human‑relevant models and RNA‑compatible approaches to generate decision‑enabling data for advancement or deprioritisation of targets.

• Define disease-relevant biological questions in MASH, obesity, and/or metabolic diseases that guide data interrogation and hypothesis generation.
• Identify causal or disease-modifying pathways across liver–adipose–muscle crosstalk and nominate intervention points amenable to modulation by RNA modalities.
• Articulate mechanistic rationales linking target perturbation to clinically meaningful outcomes (e.g., fibrosis regression, insulin sensitivity, muscle function).

Key Output:
Mechanism-of-action models; disease pathway maps; target biology briefs supporting target advancement decisions.

• Lead target discovery efforts by applying human genetics approaches (GWAS, rare variant analyses) and integrating multi-omics data (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics).
• Engage with bioinformaticians to review analysis plans, define statistical thresholds, and assess causality vs correlation.
• Triangulate evidence across multiple human datasets to quantify confidence in target–disease relationships.

Key Output:
Genetically anchored target dossiers; reproducible analysis summaries

• Apply…