Senior Director, Disease Biology
Palo Alto, CA$263.5k - $325.5kfull-timePosted 2mo ago
About the role
Lead target discovery through preclinical development for the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (ADI); build and direct target discovery and preclinical teams, coordinate with computational biology, manage external partnerships, and engage with the broader Alzheimer's disease field.
Responsibilities
- Build a new team to carry validated targets through drug discovery into preclinical programs.
- Guide those programs through to lead optimization, partnering with chemistry and ADI model teams to prioritize candidates and generate in vitro and in vivo proof of concept data.
- Lead target discovery for the Initiative, translating genetic, functional genomics, and disease mapping findings into biologically grounded therapeutic targets.
- Lead Arc's existing in vivo and in vitro ADI discovery teams, shaping their work to sharpen target identification and validation.
- Partner with computational biology and machine learning teams to surface new pathway insight, apply causal modeling to test target hypotheses, and draw on patient genetics and sample databases to validate and prioritize candidates.
- Align priorities across the target discovery and preclinical teams so concurrent programs move in a coordinated way.
- Collaborate across the Arc community to coordinate experimental approaches and analysis, and to deepen our collective understanding of Alzheimer's disease biology.
- Manage CRO and external partner relationships, with support from Program Management, to advance AD model generation and preclinical studies.
- Represent discovery and preclinical strategy in cross functional target review and portfolio prioritization discussions.
Qualifications
- PhD in neuroscience, immunology, cell biology, genetics, pharmacology, or a related field.
- Extensive experience leading target discovery in neurodegeneration, from disease biology and human genetics through target validation.
- Track record advancing programs from validated target through lead optimization, in vivo proof of concept, and IND enabling studies, including building or partnering with the supporting toxicology and pharmacokinetics capabilities.
- Deep expertise developing or applying advanced 3D cellular models of neurodegenerative disease.
- Proven people leadership, including mentoring established scientific teams, building new teams and capabilities from the ground up, and running matrixed, cross functional programs.
- Strong partnership with computational biology and machine learning teams, applying causal modeling and human genetic data to target discovery and validation.
- Experience in a fast paced biotech or nonprofit research institute environment.
- Ability to work onsite in our Palo Alto office a minimum of four days per week.
Skills
Required:Team leadership and buildingTarget discoveryPreclinical development3D cellular modelsComputational biology collaboration
Benefits
- Base salary range: $263,500 to $325,500.
- Annual discretionary bonus eligibility.
- Compound Cash Grant Program (CCGP) with multi-year fixed installments.
- Long-term philanthropic funding backing and institute-wide resources.
Last updated Sep 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
About Arc Institute
A full-stack institute for AI and biology research.
Arc Institute is a nonprofit research organization headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
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