Scientist, Protein Biochemistry (Protein Folding/Misfolding)

About GondolaBio

GondolaBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation therapeutics for genetic diseases. Originally launched as BridgeBioX, a subsidiary of BridgeBio, GondolaBio secured $300M in private financing from external investors in 2024 and became an independent company within the BridgeBio ecosystem. The company aims to leverage cutting-edge biological research to create breakthrough medicines addressing high unmet needs across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, pulmonology, cardiology, nephrology, and endocrinology. Located on the Stanford Life Sciences campus, GondolaBio fosters a unique hybrid environment where top scientists from around the world collaborate with senior leadership and advisors, blending industry expertise with academic innovation. 

About BridgeBio

BridgeBio is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company founded to discover, create, test, and deliver transformative medicines to treat patients who suffer from genetic diseases and cancers with clear genetic drivers. Our focus on scientific excellence and rapid execution aims to translate today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s medicines. We bridge the gap between remarkable advancements in genetic science in academic institutions and the delivery of meaningful medicines to patients. Founded in 2015, the company built a portfolio of 30+ drug development programs ranging from preclinical to late-stage development in multiple therapeutic areas including precision oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, pulmonology, renal disease, and genetic dermatology, with two approved drugs and a third program with a PDUFA date in Q4 2024. We have U.S. offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Raleigh. We also have international offices in Montreal, Canada, and Switzerland. 

Who You Are

Do you want to join the next-level discovery team to test “moonshots” in genetic disease at GondolaBio? We seek a Scientist to work on high-risk, high-reward programs within a culture that celebrates failures as long as they are scientifically rigorous and conclusive. The projects within this team need someone with expertise and a demonstrated track record in assay development and mechanism of action investigation related to protein folding/misfolding to support our small molecule drug discovery programs.

You will lead discovery and development assays for some of the most challenging and high-impact genetic diseases and bring our early discovery and pre-clinical programs at GondolaBio to the next level. If you have expertise in developing and optimizing various preclinical assays and want to be on the ground floor as we expand our internal capabilities at GondolaBio, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Use a variety of biochemical, biophysical, and pharmacological techniques to advance multiple small molecule drug candidates from discovery research to clinical development
• Develop, optimize, troubleshoot, and execute novel biochemical and cellular assays to drive preclinical drug discovery
• Interact with our medicinal chemists to support structural activity relationship learning
• Drive basic research towards the clinic at hyperspeed 
• Independently design, execute, and analyze experiments within our top-notch laboratory
• Communicate findings and implications to senior leadership

No matter your role at GondolaBio, successful team members are:

• Patient Champions, who put patients first and uphold strict ethical standards
• Entrepreneurial Operators, who drive toward practical solutions and have an ownership mindset
• Truth Seekers, who are detailed, rational, and humble problem solvers
• Individuals Who Inspire Excellence in themselves and those around them
• High-quality executors, who execute against goals and milestones with quality, precision, and speed

Education, Experience & Skills Requirements

• D., MD, or Ph.D./MD degree and expertise in the field of protein folding/misfolding (e.g., biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, chemical biology, chemistry, structural biology). Prior industry experience or post-doctoral training is desirable but not required
• Demonstrated record of achievement with at least one first-author publication in the field of protein folding/misfolding or chaperones is required
• Experience and familiarity with techniques used for studying protein folding/misfolding, such as protein expression, purification, folding kinetics/pathway investigation, folding intermediate characterization, pulse proteolysis, protein thermal stability, urea denaturation, etc., is desirable  
• Experience with a wide range of biophysical (mass spectrometry (MS), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), microscale thermophoresis (MST), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITS), protein thermal shift (PTS), dynamic light scattering (DLS)) and plate-based biochemical (FRET, MSD, ELISA) techniques
• Experience with multichannel pipettes and semi-automatic pipetting station is a plus
• Experience with diseases related to protein folding/misfolding and pharmacological chaperones is a strong plus
• Strong knowledge of chemistry concepts and structure biology, including an understanding of structure-activity relationships (SAR) and structure-based drug design

What We Offer

• Patient Days, where we are fortunate to hear directly from individuals living with the conditions we are seeking to impact throughout the year and learn how we can improve our efforts
• A culture inspired by our values: put patients first, think independently, be radically transparent, every minute counts, and let the science speak
• An unyielding commitment to always putting patients first. Learn more about how we do this here
• A de-centralized model that enables our program teams to focus on advancing science and helping patients. Our affiliate structure is designed to eliminate bureaucracy and put decision-making power in the hands of those closest to the science
• A place where you own the vision – both for your program and your own career path
• A collaborative, fast-paced, data-driven environment where we inspire ourselves and each other to always perform at the top of our game
• Access to learning and development resources to help you get in the best professional shape of your life
• Robust and market-competitive compensation & benefits package (Base, Performance Bonus, Equity, health, welfare & retirement programs)
• Flexible PTO
• Rapid career advancement for strong performers
• Potential ability to work on multiple GondolaBio programs across multiple therapeutic areas over time 
• Partnerships with leading institutions
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion