Biology
Scientist / Senior Scientist, Computational Biology
Office Location: San Diego, CA
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARWR) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.
Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.
Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI and San Diego, CA. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need.
The Position
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals develops innovative RNAi-based therapies to address diseases with high unmet needs. By integrating cutting-edge human genetics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics, the Translational Genetics team accelerates target discovery, validation, and in-silico biomarker development to accelerate and optimize therapeutic and clinical outcomes.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is seeking a highly accomplished and motivated Scientist/Senior Scientist, Computational Biologist to join the Translational Genetics team to develop Arrowhead Therapeutic Target and Biomarker Knowledge Database to support target and biomarker identification. The ideal candidate will hold a PhD with a minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral or professional experience and a proven track record of impactful publications in bioinformatics, genetics, or computational biology.
This role is centered on leveraging large-scale datasets, including human genetics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, from population cohorts such as the UK Biobank (UKB) and All of Us. The candidate will lead advanced analyses, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS), and Mendelian randomization (MR), to elucidate disease mechanisms and identify therapeutic opportunities.
Responsibilities
- Human genetics Driven Therapeutic Target and Biomarker Identification
- Conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic variants associated with diseases and traits.
- Perform transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) to link inferred gene expression to disease phenotypes.
- Apply Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate causal relationships between genetic variants, gene expression, and disease outcomes.
- Investigate structural variations, including CNVs, duplications, and repeat expansions, for their roles in disease mechanisms.
- Develop comprehensive genetic landscape to elucidate the target-disease relationship, encompassing evidence of target efficacy and evaluations of target safety.
- Partner with experimental scientists, and clinical teams to design experiments and interpret findings leveraging the insights learned from big biobank data.
- Communicate results effectively through reports, visualizations, and presentations tailored for diverse audiences.
- Scientific Leadership
- Lead research initiatives to discover, validate, and prioritize therapeutic targets and in-silico or exploratory biomarkers.
- Stay current with advancements in GWAS, TWAS, Mendelian randomization (MR), transcriptomics, and proteomics, and effectively integrate these insights into team workflows.
- Foster collaborations with academic groups associated with All of Us, UK Biobank, Genomics England, Estonian Biobank, Genes & Health, and the Future of Health biobank.
Qualifications
- PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, or a related discipline.
- 1 year of professional or postdoctoral experience, demonstrated by a strong publication record in bioinformatics, genetics, or computational biology.
- Expertise in GWAS, TWAS, and Mendelian randomization, with practical experience utilizing tools such as Regenie, Remeta, SMR-portal and MR-Base.
- Proficiency in Python or R, with proven experience in developing and implementing bioinformatics workflows.
- Advanced understanding of population genetics, including structural variations such as pLoF/pGoF, eQTL/pQTL/sQTL, CNVs, gene duplications, and repeat expansions.
- Experience handling and analyzing large-scale biobank datasets, for example, UK Biobank, All of Us, or FinnGen.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities, with a track record of success in collaborative, multidisciplinary environments.
Preferred:
- Experience in leveraging APIs to integrate community data from large-scale databases.
- Prior experience in database development and management.
Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.
All applicants must have authorization to work in the US for a company.