About Talus Bio

Talus Bioscience, a venture-backed early-stage biotechnology company, is at the forefront of developing innovative therapies for incurable cancers. Driven by the belief that "nothing is undruggable," we harness cutting-edge proteomics and AI during the initial stages of discovery to unlock previously inaccessible targets in cancer.

At Talus Bio, we combine functional proteomics, automated biology, and machine learning to target hard-to-treat transcription factor proteins driving cancer. Exciting opportunities await at Talus Bio - your chance to be part of something transformative!

Research Associate II Job Description

Talus Bio is looking for a Research Associate II (RA II) to join our Biology / Drug Discovery team full-time in our Seattle office (this is an in-person role). This person will be naturally curious, results-driven, and eager to work in a small preclinical biotech environment.

The person in this role will play a key role in supporting our drug discovery programs targeting transcription factors implicated in cancer, working closely with a multidisciplinary team of scientists to design, execute, and analyze experiments, providing critical data to advance our lead compounds through preclinical stages. This role is part of a pioneering team contributing to the development of innovative cancer therapies from the ground up.

This role will assist with hit validation from our primary screens, primarily through running multiplex RT-qPCR and other assays as viability or reporter assays. It will involve extensive optimization, assay development, and medium-throughput testing and work on multiple projects simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Conduct laboratory experiments to support the discovery and characterization of small molecules targeting transcription factors in cancer.
• Perform cell-based assays (e.g., cell viability, apoptosis, and reporter assays) to evaluate compound efficacy and mechanistic effects on transcription factors.
• Utilize molecular biology techniques (e.g., PCR, RT-qPCR, CRISPR, RNAi) to analyze gene expression and validate targets
• Contribute to the design, optimization, and execution of assays for high-throughput screening and compound profiling.
• Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory notebooks and records in compliance with company policies.
• Collaborate effectively with team members to solve technical challenges and streamline workflows.
• Stay current on relevant literature and emerging technologies in cancer biology, transcription factor research, and drug discovery
• Ability to multitask and advance multiple projects at different stages simultaneously from assay development to compound screening
• Maintain complete, timely, and accurate records of all experiments performed, including experimental design, procedures, and data analysis
• Analyze/interpret experimental data and communicate the results and recommendations to other team members (oral and written formats)
• Must be highly-motivated and able to work independently

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, or a related field
• 2 years of hands-on research experience running RT-qPCR assays including selection and custom-design of oligos. Experience with cell culture techniques and handling of cancer cell lines.
• Alternately: Master's degree with at least 1 year of experience in a similar role

Preferred

• Prior experience in drug discovery, especially with transcription factor targets in cancer.
• Familiarity with high-throughput screening assays and/or experience in hit-to-lead workflows.
• Familiarity with cell-based assays (e.g., cell viability, reporter assays for evaluating compound effects.
• Working knowledge of data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, Excel) and basic statistical methods.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Talus Bio is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and empowering workplace. We believe that having employees, interns, and contractors with diverse backgrounds enables Talus Bio to better meet our mission and serve healthcare communities around the world. We recognize that opportunities in the life sciences have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people. We welcome all people including cisgender, transgender, agender, and intersex and are inclusive of non-binary folx. We strongly encourage individuals with these identities to apply.

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $70,000 - $85,000 per year.

Despite being a small early-stage biotech, Talus Bio's first priority is the safety and wellbeing of all our employees and their families, both inside and outside of the lab. As part of this commitment, we have put a great deal of thought and care into developing a cost-effective and comprehensive benefits package for our team.

Our benefits package includes but is not limited to the following:

• Medical/dental/vision insurance coverage with 100% company-paid premiums for employees and 50% company-paid for dependents
• $124/month commuter and transportation reimbursement program
• 401(k) plan with a 4% Talus Bio contribution (regardless of employee contribution)
• Basic Life and AD&D insurance coverage with 100% company-paid premiums
• Short- and Long-Term Disability insurance coverage with 100% company-paid premiums
• Paid sick leave (52 hours/year)
• 4 weeks of paid time off PLUS a paid end-of-year shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's day
• 10 paid holidays
• Weekly meals, snacks, and drinks
• Flexible working hours
• Flexible working environment and schedule
• Yearly company retreat and quarterly company events

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Talus Bio is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and empowering workplace. We believe that having employees, interns, and contractors with diverse backgrounds enables Talus Bio to better meet our mission and serve healthcare communities around the world. We recognize that opportunities in the life sciences have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people. We welcome all people including cisgender, transgender, agender, and intersex and are inclusive of non-binary folx. We strongly encourage individuals with these identities to apply.

Talus Bioscience, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.