Vast is looking for a Senior Polymer Chemist, reporting to the Non-Metallic Materials & Processes Lead, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. 

This role supports toxicity and contamination control for Haven-1, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for crew members in orbit. 

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location. 

Responsibilities: 

• Conduct research on advanced polymer materials-including composites, coatings, and elastomers- with a focus on chemical stability, thermal decomposition, and outgassing/off-gassing behavior under aerospace-relevant conditions
• Operate and maintain analytical instrumentation, including SIFT-MS, TGA, FTIR, and TGA-FTIR
• Calibrate, validate, and optimize performance of analytical instruments; ensure high reliability and data integrity
• Troubleshoot and resolve equipment issues; liaise with vendors, technical support, stakeholders as needed
• Develop, refine, and validate methods for evolved gas analysis (EGA) and real-time volatile detection, including off-gas testing protocols using SIFT-MS
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including materials, thermal, and systems engineers, to integrate findings into broader design and testing efforts
• Ensure compliance with internal quality standards, industry best practices, and regulatory requirements related to materials and chemical analysis

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, or a related field
• 3+ years of industrial or research experience in polymer characterization and analytical method development
• Hands-on experience operating and maintaining TGA, FTIR, GC-MS, HPLC-MS, and SIFT-MS or CIMS instrumentation
• Strong foundation in thermal analysis and gas-phase chemical detection

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Masters degree or PhD in Polymer Chemistry or Analytical Chemistry preferred 
• Expertise in SIFT-MS, TGA-FTIR, or TGA-MS data acquisition, method development, and result interpretation
• Advanced knowledge of polymer degradation mechanisms and desorption processes
• Experience validating analytical protocols and conducting method development for off-gassing and thermal stability testing
• Familiarity with NASA-STD-6001B for flammability, off-gassing, and material selection of non-metallic materials
• Familiarity with MAPTIS for material screening, evaluation, and compliance
• Strong data analysis skills, including statistical modeling and use of Design of Experiments (DoE)
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical findings clearly, both verbally and in writing
• Experience in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment, ideally in aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated industries
• Experience with identifying and investigating chemical ionization mechanisms (e.g., proton/electron transfer, adduct formation, dissociative electron transfer, hydride association) relevant to polymer off-gassing and degradation

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
• Specific certifications, as appropriate

About the Role >>> Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry 

As the Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry reporting to the Associate Director of Medicinal Chemistry, you will design and synthesize novel small molecules as part of ongoing research program hit-to-lead and lead optimization efforts. You will have the opportunity for strong scientific collaboration with the internal medicinal chemistry team and will provide scientific oversight of external resources involved in the design and synthesis of novel small molecule drug candidates.  You may lead the organic chemistry function within multidisciplinary project teams to help advance drug discovery projects from inception to the clinic in support of our mission to deliver novel medicines to the cancer patients who need them.  

 This role is based out of our San Francisco Bay Area Laboratory and will require 5% travel. 

 Your work will primarily encompass: 

• Performing hit-to-lead and lead optimization by designing and synthesizing novel small molecules. 
• Supporting and guiding external chemistry resources by designing synthetic strategies, prioritizing targets, and proposing creative solutions to chemistry problems. 
• Advancing novel small molecule hits and lead compounds into clinical candidates by leveraging structure-based drug design, and/or multi-parameter lead optimization. 
• Effectively communicating scientific results and progress. 

And will also include: 

• Collaborating with internal biology and pharmacology teams, CROs, and consultants, including DMPK scientists and CADD experts. 
• Communicating project results and progress to key internal stakeholders. 
• Developing internal talent by providing positive mentorship while fostering a culture of collegiality, accountability, and scientific rigor. 
• Partnering with internal colleagues and external collaborators in cross-functional teams to ensure efficient progression of new compounds through assay workflows. 
• Assisting in writing scientific manuscripts/posters in support of Olema’s publication strategy. 
• Active participation in laboratory safety and environmental initiatives. 

Ideal Candidate Profile >>>  

A love of challenging, important work. We are a pragmatic team, driven to imagine and develop meaningful therapies for improving lives. All employees within our company play a unique and crucial role in our success, both in accomplishing our mission and building a positive company culture. As such, we are looking for someone with the right combination of knowledge, experience, and attributes for this role. 

Knowledge: 

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry. 
• Strong knowledge of state-of-the-art synthetic organic chemistry methodology and possess outstanding synthetic trouble-shooting skills. 
• Working knowledge of structure-based drug design as demonstrated by publications or patents. 

Experience: 

• Minimum of 5 years as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry. 
• Proven experience collaboration with and supporting external medicinal chemistry FTEs. 
• Demonstrated proficiency in computational modeling software and cheminformatics tools (e.g., Maestro, MOE) 
• Experience with chemical databases such as Dotmatics a plus. 
• Protein Degrader experience a plus. 

Attributes: 

• Have impeccable professional ethics, integrity, and judgment. 
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic; fast learner who can identify project challenges and expeditiously change course as required in a fast-paced organization.  
• Teamwork and collaboration; balances team and individual responsibilities; gives and welcomes feedback; puts success of team above own interests; supports everyone's efforts to succeed; shares expertise with others. 
• Be a “difference maker” in terms of ones’ professionalism and contributions. 
• Strong verbal and scientific writing skills to effectively share information with a wide range of internal and external audiences.

The base pay range for this position is expected to be $160,000-$170,000 annually, however the base pay offered may vary depending on location, market, job related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience. The total compensation package for this position also includes equity, bonus, and benefits.

#LI-MT1

Quantum computing holds the promise of humanity’s mastery over the natural world, but only if we can build a real quantum computer. PsiQuantum is on a mission to build the first real, useful quantum computers, capable of delivering the world-changing applications that the technology has long promised.  We know that means we will need to build a system with roughly 1 million qubits that supports fault tolerant error correction within a scalable architecture, and a data center footprint.

By harnessing the laws of quantum physics, quantum computers can provide exponential performance increases over today’s most powerful supercomputers, offering the potential for extraordinary advances across a broad range of industries including climate, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials design, and many more.

PsiQuantum has determined the fastest path to delivering a useful quantum computer, years earlier than the rest of the industry. Our architecture is based on silicon photonics which gives us the ability to produce our components at Tier-1 semiconductor fabs such as GlobalFoundries where we leverage high-volume semiconductor manufacturing processes, the same processes that are already producing billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics applications. We also benefit from the quantum mechanics reality that photons don’t feel heat or electromagnetic interference, allowing us to take advantage of existing cryogenic cooling systems and industry standard fiber connectivity.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced two government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first Quantum Data Centers and utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia and Chicago, Illinois. Both projects are backed by nations that understand quantum computing’s potential impact and the need to scale this technology to unlock that potential. And we won’t just be building the hardware, but also the fault tolerant quantum applications that will provide industry-transforming results.

Quantum computing is not just an evolution of the decades-old advancement in compute power. It provides the key to mastering our future, not merely discovering it. The potential is enormous, and we have the plan to make it real. Come join us.

There’s much more work to be done and we are looking for exceptional talent to join us on this extraordinary journey!

Job Summary:

Are you eager to revolutionize life sciences using the transformative power of quantum computing? As a Quantum Life Sciences Chemist, you will lead efforts at the intersection of quantum computing, computational chemistry, and biology, solving critical challenges in drug design, biomolecular modeling, and biological systems simulation. By integrating quantum algorithms with established life sciences methodologies, you will pioneer new approaches to address complex problems in pharmaceuticals, biomaterials, and bioinformatics. Join our interdisciplinary team to advance quantum-enabled innovations and shape the future of life sciences.

At PsiQuantum’s Quantum Solutions team, your role will focus on bridging the gap between fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) and established computational chemistry and life sciences tools. You will integrate these approaches with machine learning to explore novel workflows for quantum-informed drug discovery and biomolecular modeling. Your expertise in theoretical and computational chemistry will enable you to connect quantum-computed molecular insights with complex biological systems, driving advancements in drug design, biomaterials, and other critical areas within the life sciences.

This position requires a PhD in computational chemistry, biophysics, or a closely related field, preferably with postdoctoral research experience (although postdoc experience is not mandatory). We are looking for a curious, creative, and interdisciplinary thinker with a strong foundation in computational methodologies applicable to life sciences. The ideal candidate should be an avid reader of scientific literature, possess expert-level hands-on coding experience (e.g., Python, Fortran, C++), and have demonstrated skills in developing and applying computational techniques. Experience contributing to scientific software or modeling workflows is a plus. While prior knowledge of quantum information and fault-tolerant quantum computing is highly preferred, it is not required.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct innovative research, literature analysis, problem solving, and quantum workflow design in the areas of quantum-informed biomolecular modeling, drug discovery, and computational chemistry.
• Collaborate with quantum algorithm experts to identify areas where quantum computing can have the greatest impact in computational chemistry, biology, and life sciences.
• Contribute expertise in conventional (non-quantum-computing) algorithms to the development of in-house quantum algorithms. Serve as a technical lead in customer projects by collaborating with customers’ teams to integrate quantum computing-produced computational outputs into conventional life sciences workflows.
• Serve as a liaison between partner teams and PsiQuantum’s quantum information experts for innovative algorithm selection, development, and prioritization relevant to life sciences.
• Develop computational workflows that combine best-in-class conventional approaches (e.g., through high-performance computing (HPC)) with the breakthrough computational abilities of FTQC to reshape how quantum workflows are designed for life sciences applications.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in computational quantum chemistry and biomolecular modeling for PsiQuantum’s Quantum Solutions team, staying updated on recent academic literature, trends, and tools in life sciences.
• Foster collaboration across teams to maximize the impact of quantum algorithms and quantum computing-generated data in life sciences applications.
• Help shape external-facing materials that champion the applications of FTQC in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and life sciences industries (for key opinion leaders, media, and partners).
• Build and maintain external partnerships and collaborations on the topic, which can include meetings, group problem-solving sessions, or drafting research proposals, among others.
• Create organized internal reports and thoroughly document progress on assigned tasks.

Experience/Qualifications:

Required:

• Ph.D. in computational chemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, or a closely related field, with a strong focus on computational methodology development, and 0 to 6 years of post-PhD (postdoctoral or industrial) experience.
• Hands-on experience with modeling and simulation of biological systems, such as protein-ligand interactions, enzymatic reactions, or biomolecular dynamics.
• Enthusiasm for working in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and dynamic team environment.
• Expert-level Python coding skills with experience in scientific libraries relevant to life sciences.
• Proven ability to stay updated on recent academic literature and trends in computational chemistry and biomolecular modeling.

Preferred:

• Strong foundational knowledge of quantum chemistry methods (e.g., DFT, coupled cluster theory, or wavefunction-based approaches) and molecular simulation techniques as applied to biomolecular systems.
• Experience with free energy perturbation (FEP), molecular docking, or similar computational techniques for drug discovery.
• Experience with machine learning (ML) techniques in computational drug discovery, biomolecular modeling, or structural biology.
• Experience with coding GPU-accelerated molecular simulations.
• Familiarity with hybrid quantum-classical methodologies, such as QM/MM, applied to biomolecular systems.
• Knowledge of quantum embedding theories (e.g., DMET, embedded correlated wavefunctions) and their application to large, complex biomolecular systems.
• Hands-on experience with quantum computing or quantum algorithms, especially as applied to biological or chemical systems.
• General understanding of light-matter interactions or electronic excitations relevant to biological or chemical systems, such as energy transfer or photochemical processes.
• Familiarity with advanced quantum mechanical methods (e.g., CASCI, CASSCF) and their relevance to modeling enzymatic reactions or metal-containing biomolecules.
• Demonstrated scientific communication skills through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, or collaboration with industry partners.
• Expert-level C++ or Fortran coding skills.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com.

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Treeline Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing precision medicines, is seeking an experienced small molecule process chemist to drive the development, scale-up, and commercial readiness of our small molecule, clinical-stage portfolio. This role centers around close collaboration with the medicinal chemistry team within the discovery portfolio. Additionally, the role is critical to ensuring clinical supply and commercial readiness for identified programs and ensuring that drug substance manufacturing processes meet quality, regulatory, safety, scalability, and scalability expectations. 

About the Position

Senior Scientist / Principal Scientist – Process Chemistry (Discovery Process Research)

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced synthetic chemist to join our Process Chemistry (Discovery Process Research) team supporting drug discovery programs. This role focuses on route invention, reaction development, and scalable synthesis of key intermediates and drug candidates.

The scientist will lead from the bench within our project-based research and development organization, designing and executing synthetic strategies that enable discovery programs. The successful candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Medicinal Chemistry, DMPK, Toxicology, Drug Product, and Analytical Sciences to develop practical routes that support SAR exploration and deliver material for biological and early toxicology studies. The role emphasizes modern synthetic methodologies, efficient route design, and early scalability assessment.

Scientific Impact

• Enable drug discovery through innovative synthetic strategy. Develop creative and efficient routes that accelerate SAR exploration, enable rapid evaluation of new chemical matter, and deliver material for early toxicology studies.
• Solve complex synthetic challenges. Apply modern synthetic methodologies to access structurally complex molecules and support emerging therapeutic modalities.
• Translate discovery chemistry into scalable processes. Design practical routes that support both rapid compound synthesis and early-stage scale-up.
• Advance cross-disciplinary drug discovery. Partner closely with discovery scientists to translate synthetic innovation into therapeutic progress.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with medicinal chemistry partners to support candidate selection and developability assessments.  Advise and assist with sourcing scaffolds and intermediates as appropriate. 
• Design and execute route scouting and synthetic strategies for drug candidates and key intermediates.
• Design and optimize chemical transformations and scalable synthetic routes to enable efficient and robust processes for discovery and early development programs.
• Enable rapid compound synthesis and methodologies to support SAR campaigns and discovery timelines.
• Apply modern synthetic technologies to address complex synthetic challenges.
• Support multi-gram to kilogram-scale synthesis for biological and toxicology studies.
• Manage external partners and cultivate strong, collaborative relationships to support program objectives.
• Contribute to early CMC understanding, including impurity identification and process considerations.
• Communicate results through technical reports, documentation, and presentations.
• May be involved with preparations for the first GMP synthesis of a clincial candidate for Phase 1 trials.
• Ability to travel up to 10% to support program needs, including on-site support at manufacturing plants and partner collaboration.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or related discipline with 3–8+ years of relevant industry or postdoctoral experience; M.S. with 6–10+ years of industry experience also considered.
• Strong expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, reaction development, and route design.
• Experience with complex molecule synthesis and route optimization.
• Familiarity with scale-up considerations and impurity control in chemical processes.
• Ability to work effectively within cross-functional discovery teams.
• Experience working with and managing external CDMO partners. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong project leadership skills with the ability to manage complex timelines, multiple stakeholders, and evolving program priorities. 
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with a proven ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced, science-driven environment. 
• High level of personal integrity, commitment to excellence and to our patients 

Desired Experience

• Experience with modern synthetic methodologies and technologies (e.g., catalysis, flow chemistry, photochemistry, high-throughput experimentation, as well as other techniques).
• Experience enabling synthesis of structurally complex drug candidates or emerging modalities.
• Demonstrated creative problem solving in synthetic chemistry.

This position is classified as exempt. The anticipated annual base salary range for candidates who will work in San Diego is $166,380 to $189,533. The final base salary offered to the successful candidate will be dependent upon several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and length of experience within the job, and other factors. Treeline Biosciences is a multi-state employer, and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other cities or states.

Recruitment fraud statement

Please be aware of recruitment fraud and related job scams, where scammers present themselves as recruiters but are seeking to steal money or personal information. Keep the following in mind to protect yourself:

• Treeline Biosciences will never ask for money from you as part of our recruitment process. Do not provide bank details or pay somebody for the promise of a job at Treeline.
• We do not conduct interviews through RingCentral, Skype or Telegram.
• Our job openings are first posted to treeline.bio/careers. If you locate a listing for a Treeline job on another site, please ensure it is also posted on our careers website.
• You can find more information about job scams at consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams.
• To report job scams, head to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.