Leading Data-Driven Lab for AI Medicines

inceptive

Palo Alto, CA · Palo Alto · United States

Posted Feb 24, 2026

Other
Development

Job description

At Inceptive, you will help pioneer the next generation of AI-designed drugs, with the potential to positively impact billions of people, as part of a collaborative, antedisciplinary team.

Training on natural and experimentally-derived data is a core aspect of how our AI models learn to generate therapeutic molecules with exceptional properties. We invest deeply in building and scaling data sources to train and evaluate our models for maximal performance. At the same time, careful validation in orthogonal, translationally-relevant assays is crucial to orient our models.

We are seeking a senior scientific leader versed in high-throughput and translational biology to drive the continued growth and impact of our Palo Alto Lab. You will be a force multiplier for our scientists and engineers, ensuring a high standard of scientific rigor and output in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. You will also interface closely with our AI team to maximize the impact of internal data on Inceptive’s foundation models.

Your Mission, should you choose to accept it

Lead development and scale-up of high-throughput assays across in vitro, cellular, and in vivo systems, leveraging multiplexed assays and laboratory automation
Define and execute a lab strategy aligned with Inceptive’s therapeutic and platform priorities, while remaining flexible as modality and partnership needs evolve
Champion an antedisciplinary culture, encouraging curiosity, rigor, and collaboration across scientific boundaries
Manage, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers that rapidly generates high-impact biological data to improve and validate AI design models
Oversee the development of industry-standard validation assays to keep models and data generation aligned with downstream therapeutic application

Qualifications

PhD and 6+ years of post-PhD experience in industrial research applied to drug development
Experience managing and mentoring a data-driven lab of 10+ scientists
Experience using high-throughput and/or highly multiplexed assays to generate rich datasets from mammalian cells
Proven ability to set scientific direction while also executing operationally
Deep understanding of theory, techniques, and experimental design in molecular and cellular biology
Visualization, analysis, and statistics applied to complex biological datasets
Availability to work with team members across US and Europe, with meetings starting at 7am PT
Readiness to travel several times a year for company retreats and business events
We value in-person collaboration and expect candidates to work at our lab location

Preferred skills

Translational experience with mRNA, oligonucleotides, or other genetic medicines
Expertise in immunology and/or cell therapy
Hands-on experience in RNA biology and biochemistry
Scientific programming in Python
Hands-on experience with modern data engineering workflows

Compensation

$221K – $305K + Bonus + Equity

What we offer

A competitive compensation package
30 days paid vacation per year
Comprehensive health insurance for US based Beginners
401K with company match for US based Beginners and Direktversicherung for German Beginners
Quarterly company-wide retreats
Monthly wellness benefit
Budget for multiple visits per year to our offices in Berlin, Palo Alto or Switzerland
Learning & Development budget to attend conferences, take courses, or otherwise invest in your professional growth
A buddy to help you get settled

*Varies by country and does not apply to internships

At Inceptive, we are creating tools to develop increasingly powerful biological software for the rational design of novel, broadly accessible medicines and biotechnologies previously out of reach. Our team brings together vast expertise in molecular biology, machine learning, and software engineering, and we are all working towards becoming antedisciplinary, meaning we deepen the knowledge we have in our area of expertise while also expanding our knowledge of completely new fields.

We approach our goals with a Beginner's mind, humbly and with fresh eyes, and aim to become the pioneers of a new discipline rooted in biology as much as in deep learning, whose impact will be realized together with out-of-the-box thinkers in business and entrepreneurship, defying established categorizations. We are building a company culture centered around growth, learning, and discovery. We believe in humility and open-mindedness in how we approach each other, as well as problems we don't yet have solutions for.

It is the policy of Inceptive to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Inceptive prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.

Inceptive is also committed to welcoming and providing accommodations to people with disabilities. Please let us know if you need any accommodations throughout your application process.