Research Associate, In Vivo Pharmacology

About Septerna

Septerna is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, CA that develops life‑changing medicines focused on G protein‑coupled receptor (GPCR) discovery. The company’s Native Complex Platform™ recapitulates GPCRs with native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular context, enabling modern structural and screening technologies for the entire class of GPCRs. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR‑targeted small molecule programs that target many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date.

The Role

The Research Associate will primarily be responsible for the development and conduct of in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro studies to support Septerna’s small molecule drug discovery pipeline. The role requires independent, collaborative work in an inter‑disciplinary setting to design and execute experiments in preclinical models to understand in vivo pharmacology, establish PK/PD relationships, and inform the efficacy of Septerna’s therapeutic candidates. The associate will help generate and analyze functional data to determine therapeutic mechanism of action, rank candidates for preclinical development, and may engage in biomarker discovery efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and execute in vivo pharmacology studies to understand therapeutic mechanism in relevant disease models.
• Generate, analyze, document, and interpret data to establish functional PK/PD relationships.
• Collaborate with in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo models to determine mechanism of action of drug candidates.
• Present results in lab, team, and department meetings.
• Perform literature searches and read papers to design and troubleshoot experiments.
• Author study designs, protocols, and reports to support regulatory filings.
• Follow company policies and maintain accurate records and notebooks.

Required Education, Skills & Experience

• BSc or Master’s in Pharmacology, Toxicology, or related biological science.
• 1–3 years of direct hands‑on experience with in vivo studies or disease models in academia or the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
• Experience working directly with rodent models for dosing (PO, SC, IP, IV) and blood collection.
• Strong analytical, data interpretation, and presentation skills.
• Collaborative protocol writing and troubleshooting of biological experiments.
• Detail‑oriented, organized, and strong interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience with primary cells or ex vivo models.
• Experience with surgical model generation in rodents (osmotic minipump implantation or stereotaxic surgery).
• Previous work on therapeutic discovery and development programs in endocrine and metabolic diseases.
• Experience working with vendors and CROs to execute studies, analyze data, and generate reports.
• ELN experience with Benchling and data analysis with GraphPad Prism.

Compensation

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in South San Francisco, CA is $70,000 – $85,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, work location, and relevant education or training. Septerna’s compensation package also includes benefits, stock options, and annual target bonus for full‑time positions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Septerna is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. Septerna participates in the E‑Verify program. California Consumer Privacy Act privacy notice for job applicants—if you are a California resident, click here for our CCPA Notice.