Research Associate / Senior Research Associate – Developability Assay Development & Deployment

About OnavaOnava is building at the intersection of artificial intelligence, protein design, and experimental biology. We are developing an integrated platform where AI-designed proteins move rapidly from computational design to high-throughput experimental testing, and where experimental results feed directly back into the next generation of designs.Our goal is to create a lab-in-the-loop system for protein engineering, tightly connecting generative AI, high-throughput experimentation, automation, and biological data to accelerate the discovery and optimization of best-in-class biologics.We are a fast-moving, highly collaborative team working at the cutting edge of AI and wet-lab science. This is an environment for scientists who enjoy building new capabilities, developing assays, troubleshooting complex experiments, and translating biological measurements into scalable systems.The RoleWe are seeking a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate focused on developability assay development and deployment to help build the experimental infrastructure that enables Onava to design not only potent antibodies but also antibodies with the biophysical properties required to become high-quality therapeutic molecules.You will develop, optimize, and deploy high-throughput workflows for mammalian antibody expression, purification, and early-stage developability characterization. These assays will generate multidimensional datasets spanning expression, stability, aggregation, self-association, hydrophobicity, chemical stability, and other properties relevant to therapeutic antibody development.A major focus of the role will be transforming established biophysical and developability assays into robust, scalable screening workflows capable of evaluating hundreds to thousands of AI-designed antibody variants.Importantly, these data will not simply be used to rank molecules. They will become part of Onava's lab-in-the-loop platform, where experimental measurements are fed back into computational models to learn sequence-to-property relationships and guide subsequent rounds of antibody design.The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on protein biochemistry experience with a practical understanding of antibody developability and an enthusiasm for building assays that are quantitative, reproducible, automation-compatible, and scalable.Core ResponsibilitiesDevelop, optimize, qualify, and deploy high-throughput antibody developability assays for screening AI-designed antibody libraries and engineering campaigns.Establish scalable workflows for mammalian antibody expression using HEK and/or CHO systems, including transient transfection, culture, harvest, and sample preparation.Develop and execute high-throughput antibody purification workflows, including Protein A/G affinity purification and plate-based or automated purification strategies.Design and implement screening assays measuring key antibody developability attributes, including:Thermal and conformational stability using thermal shift assays (DSF/nanoDSF).Self-association and colloidal behavior using AC-SINS or related methods.Nonspecific or polyspecific interactions using BVP-ELISA and related assays.Surface hydrophobicity using HIC or high-throughput hydrophobicity assays.Aggregation and monomeric state using SEC or related analytical methods.Protein concentration, recovery, expression titer, and purification yield.Develop workflows for evaluating chemical and physical stability, including forced-degradation or stress studies examining oxidation, deamidation, isomerization, fragmentation, aggregation, and other relevant degradation pathways.Design experiments that establish assay dynamic range, reproducibility, controls, acceptance criteria, and meaningful developability thresholds.Evaluate and introduce additional assays for properties such as solubility, viscosity, colloidal stability, charge heterogeneity, and nonspecific binding as the platform expands.Adapt conventional biophysical assays to 96- and 384-well formats where technically appropriate.Work closely with automation engineers to transfer manual assays onto liquid-handling platforms and build reliable end-to-end screening workflows.Establish appropriate positive and negative controls, reference antibodies, and benchmarking panels for developability measurements.Troubleshoot expression, purification, assay, instrumentation, and sample-quality issues and systematically improve workflow robustness.Analyze experimental datasets and identify relationships between antibody sequence, expression, stability, aggregation, hydrophobicity, self-association, and other developability characteristics.Partner closely with computational scientists and protein engineers to ensure experimental data are structured and captured appropriately for machine-learning and iterative protein-design workflows.Maintain detailed experimental documentation, protocols, sample tracking, and structured data capture.Contribute to the evaluation and selection of new technologies, instrumentation, and assays as Onava expands its developability capabilities.Help establish best practices and standardized workflows for developability assessment across Onava's antibody engineering programs.Key QualificationsBachelor's degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Cell Biology, or a related field with approximately 3 to 5 years of relevant industry or research experience, orMaster's degree in a related discipline with approximately 2 to 3 years of relevant experience.Hands-on experience with mammalian protein expression, preferably recombinant antibody expression in HEK293 and/or CHO cells.Experience with antibody or recombinant protein purification and characterization.Practical experience with one or more protein developability or biophysical characterization assays.Strong understanding of protein stability, aggregation, self-association, nonspecific interactions, and other factors influencing therapeutic protein developability.Experience designing and optimizing quantitative assays rather than solely executing established protocols.Experience working with multi-well plate-based workflows and processing multiple protein samples in parallel.Strong experimental troubleshooting skills and the ability to systematically identify sources of assay variability.Strong attention to experimental controls, reproducibility, data quality, and documentation.Ability to independently plan and execute experiments while collaborating closely with scientists across multiple disciplines.Comfortable operating in a fast-paced biotechnology environment where new capabilities are being built and priorities evolve quickly.Preferred experienceDirect experience with DSF, nanoDSF, AC-SINS, BVP-ELISA, HIC, SEC, DLS, or related antibody developability assays.Experience developing or running high-throughput mammalian expression and purification workflows.Experience with automated liquid-handling systems such as Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman Coulter, Opentrons, or similar platforms.Experience translating manual biochemical assays into automated 96- or 384-well workflows.Experience with analytical chromatography, including SEC-HPLC/UPLC, HIC, ion-exchange chromatography, or ÄKTA/FPLC systems.Experience designing and interpreting forced-degradation and chemical stability studies.Familiarity with common antibody degradation mechanisms, including oxidation, deamidation, isomerization, clipping, and aggregation.Experience with analytical methods such as DLS, MALS, CE-SDS, icIEF/cIEF, LC-MS, or related biophysical/analytical techniques.Familiarity with antibody sequence liabilities and their relationship to experimentally measured developability properties.Experience working with large antibody panels, protein engineering libraries, or early-stage therapeutic antibody discovery programs.Experience with laboratory automation, LIMS, structured sample tracking, or automated data pipelines.Basic experience analyzing experimental datasets using Python, R, JMP, Prism, or similar tools.Compensation and Benefits: The base salary range for this role is $90,000 to $100,000 per year. The final offer will be based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and level. In addition to base salary, Onava offers a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and growth of our team.