Gastrobody Therapeutics is an early stage, University of Cambridge spin-out company developing ultrastable, orally-administered protein therapeutics to treat gastrointestinal tract diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Our platform combines computational protein design, protein engineering, and experimental validation to create highly stable, functional therapeutic binders suitable for oral delivery. We are building a multidisciplinary team at the intersection of computational biology, protein engineering, and translational therapeutics.
The Role
We are seeking a highly motivated computational protein engineer / scientist to help design and develop next-generation therapeutic proteins.
This is a computational–experimental role requiring computational design and laboratory-based protein engineering and characterisation.
You will work closely with founders to design, build, test, and optimise novel binders using state-of-the‑art computational and experimental approaches.
Responsibilities
Computational Design
- Design and optimise antibody mimetics (gastrobodies) using computational protein engineering approaches
- Apply structure‑based design, molecular modelling, sequence analysis, and machine learning tools to engineer stability, affinity, and developability into gastrobody candidates
- Analyse experimental datasets to guide iterative design cycles
- Build and maintain computational workflows for protein engineering and candidate optimisation
- Contribute to platform development for orally delivered biologics
Experimental / Bench Work
- Generate and screen protein variants using directed evolution and/or rational design strategies
- Perform molecular cloning, protein expression, purification, and characterisation
- Conduct biochemical and biophysical assays to evaluate protein stability, binding, and function
- Collaborate on assay development and experimental validation of computational predictions
- Maintain rigorous experimental documentation and data analysis practices
Requirements
We are looking for candidates with:
- PhD in a relevant area of computational biology, protein engineering, structural biology, or related field
- At least 3 years of hands‑on experience designing:
- or related protein scaffolds
- Strong understanding of protein structure, folding, and molecular interactions
- Experience with AI‑driven protein design frameworks, such as RFdiffusion, ProteinMPNN, AlphaFold‑based design workflows (e.g. BindCraft), or equivalent computational protein engineering tools
- Practical wet‑lab experience in molecular biology and protein engineering
- Ability to work independently in a fast‑moving startup environment
- Strong communication and collaborative skills
- Experience with developability engineering or stability optimisation
- Familiarity with oral delivery challenges for biologics
- Experience with display technologies (phage, yeast, mammalian)
- Experience with high‑throughput screening or automation
- Prior startup or translational biotech experience
- 2+ years of experience post‑PhD in academic, start‑up, or industry
What We Offer
- Opportunity to join a founding scientific team tackling a major challenge in therapeutics
- High ownership and scientific impact
- Collaborative, interdisciplinary environment
- Competitive salary and benefits
- Opportunity to shape the scientific direction of the company from an early stage
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