Research Associate/Senior Research Associate, Protein Science

Who We Are

Arda is targeting cells to treat disease. We are taking aim at chronic diseases and aging by eliminating the pathogenic cells that drive these conditions.

A new approach to old diseases

Cells are the functional units of life, but they are also the functional units of disease. Many diseases are caused by certain cell populations becoming too abundant or active;

for example, the overgrowth of stromal cell types contributes to fibrosis, while the excessive activation of particular immune cells leads to chronic inflammation.

Arda’s hypothesis is that removing these cells will delay or reverse disease progression.

Our approach starts by using single-cell data to identify pathogenic cells and specific markers to target them. We then design therapies to eliminate these - and only these - cells.

We are initially focused on treating chronic diseases, with the long-term goal of extending healthy lifespan. Our mission is clear, our commitment is strong, and our expectations are high. Come build with us!

The Role

As a Research Associate in the Protein Science group, you will design, perform, and optimize assays to measure biochemical parameters across a range of biologic modalities and formats.

Working closely with other departments, you will drive the characterization, validation, and optimization of antibodies against various targets to advance Arda’s scientific programs.

Your input will be essential to Arda's strategy, process, and culture. The experience you gain in this role is a rare commodity that will establish you as an operator and builder.

Beyond exciting science, you’ll have enough equity to be a true stakeholder in the company, a competitive salary and benefits, a flexible time off policy so you can be at your best while you’re working, and enthusiastic support from the other members of our inclusive, world-class team.

In this role, you will :

• Generate antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates against various targets
• Engineer, express and purify recombinant proteins from mammalian cells
• Design, optimize, and perform various molecular, cellular, and biochemical assays and techniques to characterize Arda's biologics (e.

g. binding, stability, aggregation, internalization, cytotoxicity, etc.)

Manage external resources to discover novel binders against validated targets

Qualifications

• You have earned a BS or M.S. in biological sciences or a related discipline, with at least 3 years of wet lab experience
• Experience in mammalian cell culture, protein expression, and antibody expression
• Your lab experience includes molecular and cell-based techniques such as protein / antibody purification using various chromatography techniques (et.

affinity, IEX, CEX, SEC, RP), flow cytometry, ELISA, BLI, SPR

• Experience with antibody biology, engineering, expression, purification, characterization, and conjugation in an industry setting is a big plus.
• You are meticulous, organized, and pride yourself on leading by example in the lab.
• You have excellent communication skills and take personal satisfaction in producing clear presentations and electronic notebook entries that enable decision-making.
• Nice-to-have : experience with data analysis tools such as FlowJo and GraphPad Prism.

What we value

• Rigor . Decisions are based on data. Persuasive arguments are built from evidence and logic, not from authority or wishful thinking. Truth is paramount.
• Impact . We measure outputs, not inputs. In other words, we’re more interested in what you achieve than how long you spend doing it.

We think carefully about where to put our goalposts, and once placed, we drive toward them with zeal. Value comes from what you contribute, not just what’s on your resume.

Realistic Optimism. We approach our work with a positive, can-do attitude, ready to tackle any challenge with enthusiasm.

At the same time, we're clear-eyed about the obstacles we face. We don’t sugarcoat the difficulties ahead, but instead, we harness our optimism to fuel creative solutions and keep moving forward.

We believe in our ability to make a difference, while staying grounded in the reality of the tasks at hand.

Information Flow. Information is as crucial to us as blood is to the body it needs to flow freely or things start to go wrong.

We actively promote a high information accessibility culture; our default is to make each piece of business and scientific information accessible to everyone at the company.

People make better decisions and find more fulfillment in their work when they have context, and we pride ourselves on both our dedication to transparency and our commitment to recording and organizing information so that it can be understood and used by others.

Adaptability . We jump in where we’re needed, not just where we’re assigned. Flexibility is our superpower - whether it’s our job on paper or not, we’re all about tackling challenges together.

We mix skills, swap hats, and get stuff done, and strengthen our team one solution at a time.

Grit . Doing science means being wrong, a lot. We value progress over perfection, embracing challenges as an opportunity for growth.

Our resilience is fortified by continuous, purposeful efforts to enhance our skills and knowledge. We persevere.