Discovery Scientist, Neuroscience

Open Search       ·       San Francisco, CA       ·       Full time

This posting is for an open search. At Arcadia, an open search (as opposed to an “active search”) means that we see a need for this role in the organization but without a specific timeline in mind. As such, this process is intentionally open-ended, and promising candidates should expect a dialogue with the organization about scientific opportunities and mutual fit. The needs and expectations described in the job description may evolve as we have these conversations. The timeline of these searches is highly variable. 

A Bit About Us:

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a well-funded for-profit biology research and development company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to give a community of researchers the freedom and tools to be adventurous, to discover, and to make scientific exploration financially self-sustaining in the life sciences. We are inspired by the spirit of exploration and aspire to evolve how science is done, who it attracts and rewards, and what it can achieve.

Research @ Arcadia:

At Arcadia, we are building an intramural research and development program that will encompass three areas: (1) emerging organismal biology, (2) enabling research technologies, and (3) translational development. Research areas will be carried out by independent scientists and those working together towards shared goals. Projects will be collaborative in nature and pursue science that is more high-risk and exploratory than typical life science research programs. We will invest heavily in creative technologies that can invent new research tools or optimize workflows for emerging organismal systems. In addition to conducting research, Arcadia scientists will drive engagement with the broader scientific community in order to maximize the impact of our work and identify research areas and needs that Arcadia may be uniquely positioned to address.

The Opportunity:

Over the next three months, we are looking to hire a full-time, independent discovery scientist in the area of Neuroscience. Areas of particular interest include but are not limited to sensory and motor systems, neural control of behavior, neural circuits, neurophysiology, non-neuronal regulation of circuit activity, and relationships between behavior and ecology. Skills of particular interest include but are not limited to functional and anatomical imaging, computational modeling, time series analyses, behavioral tracking, electrophysiology, and multi-modal recording.

We are interested in recruiting individuals to pursue research projects focused on organisms that are biologically distinct from humans or other model organisms. We are open to a wide variety of organisms, as we are most focused on the questions that are strategically being addressed. We are particularly interested in recruiting scientists who would like to study aspects of the neurobiology of invertebrate terrestrial organisms.

Our ideal discovery scientist is curious, self-directed, collaborative, excited by new ideas, passionate about solving problems, and dedicated to open science. You enjoy thinking about how to connect the dots between disparate disciplines. You are motivated by team-based efforts and know how to manage a wide range of risk. You are not afraid to fail and will help us think about ways to not only normalize but celebrate it. You are excited by the possibility of translating your research into useful tools or companies when such opportunities arise. You understand that skilled and thoughtful mentorship is critical to maximizing the scientific potential of our science and organization. You see Arcadia as an opportunity to experiment with not only what science you do but how you do it, and you understand the importance of curiosity and humility in this process. Scientists can expect to be compensated between $75,000-$200,000/year with benefits and a highly competitive equity offering, depending on experience level. We are looking for talent at all levels from a wide variety of scientific and professional backgrounds.

What your role will look like over time:

First year – Over the next several months, you can expect a very start-up experience with an organization that will grow from a size of about 15 people to 30. We expect the growing team to be highly collaborative with an “all-hands-on-deck” mentality to get new research projects off the ground, quickly explore and de-risk organismal systems or technologies, and engage with the broader scientific community to source ideas. You will be responsible for developing your project, working with our team to identify the right organisms to select/compare based on your research question, generating data, and communicating your findings to the public.

First few years. Successful research projects may develop into longer-term research programs or spin-out companies, and you may have the opportunity to lead these depending on performance and interest.

Expectations for all Arcadia Scientists:

Arcadia strongly believes that open science is the best science. We expect all of our scientists to communicate openly about their work through a variety of mechanisms, including our own open communications platform (currently under development) rather than in scientific journals, via social media and scicomm to a general audience, and through participation in scientific conferences. We are currently establishing in-house communications teams to support your sharing. Evaluation of your performance at Arcadia will be based on a combination of structured feedback from your colleagues at all levels, openly shared research content, achievement of learning milestones established by yourself with the leadership team, and experimental risk-taking.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should send a professional CV and a one-page cover letter describing:

• a brief narrative of your scientific background
• what you would like to pursue scientifically at Arcadia and why
• a brief statement highlighting tangible prior contributions in service of the scientific community that align with Arcadia’s mission

Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work.

Please click here to apply.