Senior Computational Biologist - (12-month FTC)

About Us

VentureOne is building a new quantum-inspired drug discovery start-up headquartered in the UAE. Our technology is physics-based: it takes any protein structure and generates thousands of amino acid hit sequences against any target in minutes — replacing high-throughput screening entirely. We want to deliver validated leads ready for pre-clinical in a few months. Our ambition is to become the UAE's first fully integrated pharmaceutical company.

We are a small, senior founding team. This hire is critical — you will own one of the most important layers of our solutions and work directly with the founders from day one.

About The Role

We are hiring a Senior Computational Biologist / Chemist to build and own the computational filtering and scoring stack that sits between our quantum-inspired solver output and wet lab validation. This is the layer that turns 1,000+ raw sequences into 20-50 prioritised, drug-like lead candidates.

You will define the scientific rigour of every client deliverable. You are the scientific voice of the platform — to clients, to CRO partners, and eventually to pharma BD teams. This is not a support role. You own the science.

This is a 12-month contract position.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and own the ADMET prediction pipeline — toxicity, metabolic stability, membrane permeability, solubility — adapted specifically for peptide and protein-based sequences
• Integrate molecular docking and binding affinity prediction into the scoring workflow (structure-based where PDB data is available, ligand-based where it is not)
• Implement drug-likeness scoring for large molecules — beyond Lipinski rules, incorporating peptide-specific parameters (proteolytic stability, BBB penetration where relevant, oral bioavailability flags)
• Develop selectivity and off-target flagging methods to identify candidates with clean selectivity profiles before wet lab synthesis
• Build the active learning feedback loop: wet lab assay results feed back into the scoring model, improving prioritisation with each program cycle
• Interpret and present computational results to pharma clients — translate complex output into clear, actionable lead packages
• Collaborate with the engineering team on pipeline infrastructure, MLOps, and cloud compute architecture
• Define and maintain scientific documentation and data provenance for IP protection
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Direct hands-on experience in peptide and/or protein therapeutic drug discovery — this is a hard requirement. A purely small molecule background will not be considered.
• PhD in computational chemistry, structural biology, cheminformatics, or closely related field
• Minimum 5 years of post-PhD industry experience in drug discovery
• Proficiency with at least one major computational chemistry platform: Schrodinger Suite, AutoDock Vina, GROMACS, AMBER, or equivalent
• Python proficiency — you will build pipelines, not just run tools
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building ADMET models specifically for peptides or biologics — not just small molecules
• Familiarity with peptide-specific challenges: proteolytic stability, membrane permeability, immunogenicity prediction
• Experience with structure-based drug design using cryo-EM or X-ray crystallography data
• Published work in peptide computational design or structure-based drug discovery
• Experience presenting computational results to pharma clients or non-computational stakeholders
• Familiarity with AlphaFold 2/3 and how to use predicted structures in drug design workflows
• Experience building or contributing to active learning / ML feedback loops in drug discovery
  
  

How To Apply

Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey with VentureOne? If you're a visionary with a passion for innovation, we want to hear from you. To apply, please send your resume detailing your relevant experience and why you're the perfect fit for this role.

At VentureOne, we believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation. We are committed to creating an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Join us in shaping the future of business. Apply today and let's venture into a world of possibilities together!