Head of Computational Biology
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Boulder, Colorado
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- C level
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- Not specified
- Category
- Not specified
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Ph.D. in computational biology, bioinformatics, or related field with 5–10 of proven success in cross-functional leadership
- Demonstrated people leadership: directly managing, hiring, and developing a team of scientists while remaining a hands-on individual contributor (player/coach).
- Proven track record of delivering outcomes: has built design/test systems that delivered protein, peptide, antibody, or similar candidates that were commercially relevant and advanced toward commercia
- Expertise in machine learning and predictive models focused on protein engineering workflows.
- Expertise in bioinformatics pipelines and databases.
- Experience with generative AI models.
- Experience with molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics parameterization.
- Experience with LIMS and sample management systems.
- Demonstrated knowledge of experimental design, the scientific method, and statistical analysis.
- Demonstrated capabilities for building well-documented and version-controlled data pipelines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work within different teams.
- Strong organizational and documentation skills.
Nice to have
- Experience working within or alongside the build and test functions, not only design and learn.
- Experience integrating computational workflows with laboratory automation and high-throughput build/test platforms.
- Experience with multiomics data pipelines, flux balance analysis, and metabolic pathway modeling.
- Experience with antibody engineering simulation pipelines.
- Experience with Git, AWS, and standard computational tools.
Full description
About Alta
Alta Resource Technologies (Alta) is a next generation mining company that uses synthetic biology to separate critical minerals from conventional and unconventional resources, including e-waste. Founded in 2023, the company is expanding its team in Boulder, CO. The exponential growth of new tech industries, as well as the information technology sector, are driving historic growth in mineral demand and stressing existing supply streams. Meeting new demand, diversifying the supply chain, and producing minerals in a more sustainable manner requires the rapid development, deployment and scaling of new technologies. This mineral challenge represents a historic opportunity for technology development and value creation. Alta is proud to be at the vanguard of this mega trend.
Location: Boulder, CO
Reports To: Sr. Director, Applied Biology
Role Summary:
The Head of Computational Biology will be responsible for hands-on technical execution and building and leading a small team. They will integrate Alta’s design-build-test-learn (DBTL) data with in silico and bioinformatics approaches to improve predictions of protein expression, activity, specificity, and manufacturability. A key requirement for this role is a demonstrated ability to translate computational models into experimentally validated candidates that perform in the lab, can be manufactured at scale, and advance toward commercialization, rather than optimizing model performance alone.
The individual will develop and implement computational approaches that connect protein design, experimental results, and predictive modeling to accelerate iterative learning. They will work closely within the Applied Biology group and with LIMS/software developers and Analytical Chemistry groups to define data requirements, experimental workflows, and automation systems that ensure data quality, provenance, and reliability. They will translate research needs into scalable workflows, integrating sample tracking, data capture, analysis, and model feedback.
The ideal candidate combines deep computational expertise with scientific rigor, strong cross-functional communication, and the ability to move between analytical problem-solving, computational development, and team leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- **Lead a group to develop model classifications and scoring for protein candidates and chemistries using in silico and real-world data sources.
- Establish protein and peptide molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics workflows for in silico scoring.
- Execute workflows hands-on, personally contributing to model development, code, and analysis alongside the team.