Scientist – Immunology

Company Overview

Terray Therapeutics is a biotechnology company backed by venture funding, bringing scientists and engineers together to change how small-molecule medicines are discovered and advanced. The company combines nanotechnology, experimental biology, machine learning, and automation to create and learn from proprietary chemical data at scale, with the goal of identifying new therapies for patients.

The team works across artificial intelligence, chemistry, drug discovery, automation, and nanotechnology in tightly connected workflows. Terray’s platform, EMMI (Experimentation Meets Machine Intelligence), enables repeated cycles of molecule design and wet-lab testing so the company can rapidly improve insight into biochemical interactions and guide future discoveries. The organization supports both an internal immunology program and external partnerships across multiple therapeutic areas, with a culture that values collaboration, speed, and strong scientific execution.

Role Summary

Terray Therapeutics is looking for a driven, inventive, and experienced immunologist to join its cell assay group on a full-time onsite basis. In this role, you will collaborate with scientists to design experiments that evaluate the mechanism of action of small-molecule hits generated through Terray’s EMMI platform, and you will help refine assays that support progression from hit-to-lead through lead optimization.

The ideal candidate brings a solid background in immunology, a strong understanding of immune signaling pathways, and practical experience using a wide range of cellular techniques to investigate small-molecule mechanism of action.

Key Responsibilities

• Review scientific literature to build a strong understanding of internal therapeutic targets.
• Plan and execute experiments that validate the mechanism of action of small-molecule hits identified through binding and virtual screening in cellular systems.
• Independently create, improve, and operate cell-based assays to measure on-target and off-target effects across hits and hit series.
• Modify assays for medium- to high-throughput screening and IC50 generation to support structure-activity relationship analysis.
• Coordinate with CRO partners for reagent development and/or in vitro testing when needed.
• Process, interpret, and present experimental findings in project team discussions.
• Work closely with a cross-functional group of chemists and computational scientists as the immunology subject-matter representative for project decisions.
• Help maintain lab organization and equipment as required.

Experience and Qualifications

The company is seeking someone who is thoughtful, energetic, detail-oriented, and effective in a fast-moving scientific environment. Success in this role requires close collaboration with the biology team to strengthen next-generation drug discovery capabilities. Terray operates in a hands-on setting where accountability, excellence, and active contribution to company success are expected.

• PhD in immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, or a closely related field, plus 3+ years of small-molecule drug discovery experience; or an MSc with 10+ years of small-molecule drug discovery industry experience.
• Deep knowledge of immunology and immune signaling pathways.
• Substantial hands-on experience with cell culture and cell-based assays, including reporter assays, gene and protein expression methods such as flow cytometry, qPCR, RNA sequencing, Luminex, MSD, ELISA, and Western blotting, as well as intracellular techniques.
• Practical expertise in primary cell isolation, differentiation, culture, and flow cytometry.
• Experience building reliable assays for small-molecule dose-response studies and IC50 determination.
• Strong organization, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work in a highly collaborative research setting.
• Proven technical ability, strong troubleshooting skills, and the capacity to generate high-quality data.
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure and deliver results within short timelines.
• Highly responsive, goal-driven, and motivated to solve complex technical problems in support of advancing human health.

Compensation

The annual base salary for this position is between $120,000 and $175,000, depending on experience. Compensation is benchmarked against market base salary plus bonus levels in the industry and is aligned to the scope of the role, skill set, and expected impact.

Benefits

Terray offers a strong benefits package that is positioned at the upper end of the Southern California market. Benefits include stock option participation, a 3% retirement safe harbor contribution, fully paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their spouse/partner/family, as well as above-market life insurance, disability coverage, and additional offerings discussed during the offer process.