Research Assistant - Structural Bioinformatics

About Astera

Astera is a private foundation focused on guiding science and technology toward a future of abundance. Its view is that rapid progress in AI, together with major breakthroughs in other scientific areas, will open a period of exceptional innovation. In that environment, there is a chance to rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that support scientific advancement.

Rather than operating like a conventional nonprofit research organization, Astera backs projects that function more like fast-moving startups. This approach is intended to support ambitious goals, fit structure to the problem, and bring in strong technical talent and leadership.

About the role

The diffUSE Project at Astera Institute/Radial is creating open infrastructure for dynamic structural biology. The goal is to make protein conformation and ensemble data easy to discover, properly validated, and reusable at scale. As a Research Assistant, you will help keep data pipelines running, curate structural datasets, and perform validation checks across X-ray, cryo-EM, and ensemble-based data. You will work closely with scientists and software engineers on day-to-day technical work.

This is a full-time, on-site position for someone at an early stage of their research career who wants direct experience with structural biology data infrastructure in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary setting. The best fit will be detail-focused, comfortable with uncertainty, and motivated by making scientific data more open and reusable.

Key responsibilities

• Operate and maintain bioinformatics pipelines used for structural data processing, curation, and quality control.
• Support the creation and comparison of validation metrics using experimental datasets.
• Help with data submission, formatting, and documentation so materials align with community data standards.
• Prepare datasets, visuals, and written summaries for papers, reports, and presentations.
• Work with scientists and engineers on routine data management tasks and troubleshooting.

Required qualifications

• BS or MS degree in bioinformatics, structural biology, computational biology, or a closely related discipline.
• Practical Python skills and familiarity with structural file types such as PDB, mmCIF, and mtz.
• Strong organization and careful attention to detail when handling data.
• Ability to collaborate across computational and experimental teams in a research environment.
• Preferred exposure to crystallography or cryo-EM data processing, along with familiarity with PDB, EMDB, or similar databases.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is USD 75,000 to USD 100,000 per year.

Additional information

This role is intended for a full-time, in-person appointment in California, United States.