Senior Computational Scientist, AI for Protein Design and Discovery
About the role
Twist is seeking a Senior or Staff Computational Scientist to develop AI and computational solutions for protein design, discovery, and characterization.
You will work across computational biology, machine learning, and experimental science, collaborating with research scientists, software engineers, and customer-facing teams. Your work will help Twist and its customers design and evaluate protein sequences, interpret NGS and experimental data, and select candidates for advancement.
This is a hands-on, impact-driven role requiring substantial experience developing new algorithms. A strong understanding of protein language models (PLMs) and their use in biological sequence design is required.
Experience with antibody discovery or engineering is highly preferred but not required. Candidates with relevant experience in other therapeutic proteins are encouraged to apply.
What you’ll do
- Develop algorithms that integrate protein sequences with NGS and experimental data to derive insights that inform subsequent experiments and design cycles.
- Identify high-impact opportunities for new algorithms and AI-enabled capabilities, lead their development from concept through experimental validation, and translate successful approaches into reusable tools for research programs.
- Develop AI/ML methods for designing, evaluating, and optimizing therapeutic protein sequences.
- Apply protein language models (PLMs) and related approaches to sequence generation, property prediction, and candidate prioritization.
- Partner with software and bioinformatics teams to integrate models and analytical workflows into scalable research systems.
- Lead computational analyses for protein discovery programs, including sequence selection, clone prioritization, and characterization.
- Collaborate across computational, experimental, engineering, and customer-facing teams to translate scientific needs into practical solutions.
- Move flexibly between research, software development, analysis, and troubleshooting as program priorities evolve.
What you’ll bring to the team
- Minimum of 5 years of industry experience with a PhD.
- PhD in computational biology, bioinformatics, machine learning, computer science, protein science, or a related field.
- Extensive experience developing algorithms for protein design, engineering, discovery, or sequence analysis.
- Demonstrated experience developing and applying AI/ML methods to proteins or other biological sequences.
- Strong understanding of protein language models (PLMs) and protein sequence-structure-function relationships.
- Experience analyzing NGS data from biological selection, screening, or related workflows.
- Strong scientific programming skills (Python) and experience with modern machine-learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow).
- A record of translating ambiguous scientific questions into validated computational methods and actionable results.
- Strong cross-functional communication skills, scientific judgment, and a focus on practical impact.
- Ability to communicate complex computational concepts to experimentalists and stakeholders.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with antibody discovery, engineering, or characterization is highly preferred but not required.
- Experience with biopanning, display-based discovery, or other protein-selection platforms.
- Experience integrating protein sequence, NGS, and experimental assay data.
- Experience with generative protein design, property prediction, or candidate-ranking methods.
About Twist Bioscience
Twist Bioscience synthesizes genes from scratch, known as “writing” DNA. Just as children learn to both read and write, the next phase of development for the genomics revolution is the ability to write DNA.
At Twist Bioscience, we work in service of people who are changing the world for the better. In fields such as health care, agriculture, industrial chemicals and data storage, our unique silicon-based DNA Synthesis Platform provides precision at a scale that is otherwise unavailable to our customers.
Twist Bioscience Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Twist Bioscience Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic characteristics, or any other category protected by law.
The base cash compensation for this California-based role is below. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for bonus, equity, and a generous benefits package. Final compensation amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate skill, experience, expertise, and location and may vary from the amount listed above. Compensation may be different in other locations.
San Francisco Bay Area Pay Range
$150,700 — $180,800 USD