About Structura Biotechnology

Structura Biotechnology, a University of Toronto spin-out, develops the CryoSPARC software system for single particle cryo-EM data processing in drug discovery and life science. Many of the largest and leading national facilities, academic labs, pharmaceutical companies, biotechs and CROs are our users and customers. Our vision is to deliver professionally-engineered and powerful commercial products to help drive industry adoption of cryo-EM and aid in the search for new medicines, while at the same time contributing to use and development of cryo-EM in the broader scientific community by providing CryoSPARC free of charge for non-profit research use.

Our philosophy in developing CryoSPARC has been to combine a tight focus on computational methods research, workflow and user interface design, software systems engineering and customer/user success. Since 2017, we have been continually developing and releasing versions of CryoSPARC with expanding functionality and scope. For example, CryoSPARC Live is now widely used for real-time image processing, and, in 2022 we announced a partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific to deliver an embedded version with microscope hardware.

We are a small, energetic and highly focused team that is dedicated to helping make cryo-EM a ubiquitous and accessible technology that can power new advances in biology and medicine. We take pride in our work and our strong team culture of respect, continuous learning and tenacity. If you are looking for a mission-driven, high-impact role alongside an excellent team, you will fit right in.

We are looking for a Cryo-EM Computational Research Scientist to join our team. In this role, you will become an integral part of our R&D team that develops new methods for cryo-EM data analysis. You will work on research projects as well as high performance implementations and integrations with our software engineering and application development teams. You are someone who is passionate about cryo-EM and you want to help the method become even more powerful and widely accessible. You have strong experience with algorithm design, image processing and experimental development.

Cryo-EM continues to expand rapidly in number of users and structures determined and also in capabilities and use cases. We are excited about the future of cryo-EM for drug discovery and life science research, especially developments in high-throughput workflows, automation, analysis of heterogeneity and improvements in resolution. Join us on our journey towards these exciting frontiers and leverage your expertise and effort to achieve a broad positive impact on this amazing field!

What you will do

• Conceptualize, develop and implement innovative methods for cryo-EM image analysis across a broad range of areas including heterogeneity, automation and drug discovery workflows. Focus on general algorithms as well as targeted methods for important use cases such as membrane proteins, GPCRs, time-resolved EM, synthetic biology, helical structures, etc.
• Write stable, high-performance numerical and scientific code for CPU and GPU. Utilize modern frameworks for machine learning methods as well as creating custom implementations for specific algorithms.
• Perform thorough analysis on experimental data to validate and optimize algorithms, ensuring their effectiveness and reliability.
• Work closely with our R&D team of scientists and engineers with backgrounds in machine learning and computer vision. Share your expertise with each other and engage in collaborative learning through seminars and paper clubs.
• Stay on top of best practices for cryo-EM data methods development and processing through workshops, seminars, scientific literature and user interaction.
• Work closely with our software, application, computational methods and customer success teams.. Support other team members and users with your cryo-EM background, answering questions from your areas of expertise.
• Assist in collaborations and pilot projects with academic and industry cryo-EM labs.
• Help create educational materials, such as case studies and workflow guides.

What’s in it for you

• Opportunity to work at the frontier in cryo-EM methods development, helping drive the evolution of the next generation of cryo-EM computational tools for thousands of users
• Engage with a dynamic, energetic and collaborative research environment
• Rewarding, challenging work that translates directly into scientists being able to do better life science and drug discovery research
• Lots of learning opportunities with HPC systems, scientific software workflows and software engineering practices
• Competitive compensation and benefits

Requirements

• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in cryo-EM with substantial hands-on experience with computational methods development
• Intimately familiar with cryo-EM image processing theory and current techniques
• Programming experience (Our stack is python (numpy), C, CUDA, pytorch)
• PhD or equivalent research experience in Computer Science, Math, Structural Biology, Biophysics, Bioengineering or a related area
• Strong mathematical background, experience with computer vision, signal processing, machine learning methods
• Experience with git, scripting (bash), Linux command line, HPC systems

Nice to Have

• Hands-on experience with cryo-EM sample preparation, data collection, microscope operation, cryo-EM map calculation, atomic model building is a major asset
• Experience with GPU programming in CUDA
• Experience in managing HPC environments (GPUs, clusters, resource management, job scheduling)
• Experience with 3D visualization techniques

Job Details

• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Hybrid Work: We currently operate 2 fixed days in person and 3 days remotely
• Benefits: Competitive health, dental and paramedical benefits
• Travel: Occasional travel to client sites and workshops/conferences

To Apply

Please email careers@structura.bio with the subject line “Cryo-EM Computational Research Scientist” and provide us with your CV and a few paragraphs explaining why you would be the right fit for this position. We prefer applicants who are already legally able to work in Canada, but we also welcome applications from individuals who are willing to relocate. If you are interested but are not sure if you meet all the requirements, we encourage you to contact us for discussion.