Are you ready to operate at the forefront of our preclinical research team, owning the validation of novel therapeutic targets for heart failure and playing a pivotal role in shaping our therapeutic pipeline? 

In this role, you will combine physiological expertise and technical mastery to design, execute, and interpret sophisticated rodent studies with advanced functional readouts, directly influencing drug candidate nomination!

The Destination:

Gordian Biotechnology is a therapeutics company whose mission is to cure age-related diseases and ultimately allow people to lead longer, healthier lives.

Traditional ex vivo screening methods have failed to produce effective treatments, as age-related diseases have complex causes that include interactions with the aged environment.

To address this problem, Gordian’s platform is the first and only to enable pooled in vivo tests at scale in our proprietary “patient avatars”. We are able to deliver and test hundreds of therapeutics in individual animals, and scale efficacy testing to cover every therapeutic target at the beginning of the drug discovery process (more info on our website). We can choose targets that really impact disease biology, to develop and commercialize therapies for the world’s deadliest diseases, and eventually for the processes of aging itself. 

The Journey:

Our mission is audacious, and the path will be full of both challenges and excitement. Two things characterize the Gordian experience: 1) We work as a team, with ownership in our own roles and trust in each other. 2) We strive for extraordinary outcomes, and in doing so grow our skills and capability.

Team – Relying on each other begins with transparency. We set clear goals, visibly connecting individuals and teams to our company objectives. This empowers each of us to make autonomous decisions about our work, knowing how they will affect the bigger picture. Our communication happens out in the open. We give and receive feedback from a perspective of helping each other grow, share mistakes, and ask for help.

Extraordinary – Every day, we ask ourselves ‘How could this process/outcome be even better?’. Knowing our overall mission, we do what we think helps us make the most progress, without asking for permission. We don’t shy away from big challenges or unknown territory, but find a way to excel. Our colleagues are amazing, both at what they do and as people. They inspire us to keep up, to not let them down, and be inspiring in return. 

Like any cutting-edge research environment, Gordian doesn't believe in a standard 9 to 5 day. We set ambitious project goals and support each other to meet them, while maintaining the balance individuals need to thrive and achieve excellence. Our team is geared towards helping each other out and maintaining a culture of intellectual and social fun. We like getting things done and keep standing meetings to a minimum. This year, in accordance with our unlimited vacation policy, each member took an average of 4.5 weeks of (offline) vacation, not including major holidays. We unwind with weekly team lunches, and support each others’ projects both experimentally and by ‘pre-mortem’ meetings to discuss possible failure modes and experimental design. 

If this environment sounds appealing, help us bring it to life. We are at the beginning of a long journey, and want both your ability and your personality along for the ride. Our culture is a source of great pride; it represents both who we are, and who we wish to be. 

You can dive deeper here.

About the Role:

Your primary mission as an In Vivo Cardiac Biology Scientist / Senior Scientist is to drive preclinical validation of novel therapeutic targets for heart failure, including heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). You will lead advanced in vivo heart failure rodent studies, perform and interpret advanced physiological analyses for therapeutic efficacy , and collaborate cross-functionally to turn screening hits into high-confidence drug discovery programs.

In your first month, you'll fully onboard to our heart program launching a heart failure model development study. . You will demonstrate echo image acquisition and analysis mastery across multiple views (SAX, PLAX, apical 4 Chamber) at a speed sufficient to run an active cohort.

Within three months, you'll take ownership of a target validation cohort, executing echocardiography and managing weekly logistical in vivo assays. You will achieve flawless rat echo acquisition, master advanced dosing and blood draw techniques, and begin hands-on training in rat invasive hemodynamics.

At the six-month mark and beyond, you'll complete your initial model studies and the first round of target validation, before launching a second validation study for the HFpEF program. Ultimately, you will drive end-to-end target development programs, including small molecule proof-of-concept studies and strategic partner collaborations, while authoring and maintaining rigorous IACUC protocols.

And You:

• PhD and/or postdoctoral training in cardiac biology, cardiac physiology, or a related field (or equivalent 4+ years of industry experience leading end-to-end research projects).  
• Extensive hands-on experience independently running studies in rodent models of cardiovascular disease in an academic or industry setting.  
• Demonstrated proficiency in rodent echocardiography (conventional short axis and auto-LV required; 4-chamber view, MV inflow, and tissue Doppler preferred) and/or invasive hemodynamics like PV loops.  
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication, a collaborative approach, and the adaptability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.  
• Intrinsic alignment with target validation and drug discovery, alongside a genuine enjoyment of small animal physiology work. 

The Details:

Gordian aims to provide everything you need to thrive. Beyond or community and science, you’ll have enough equity to be a true stakeholder in the company, competitive salary, full health/dental/vision/life insurance, 401k with match, onsite lunch paid for 3 days a week, an onsite gym, whatever vacation you need to be at your peak, remote work flexibility, and access to world-class mentors and advisors to support your professional growth. Our building is in the heart of the biotech capital of South San Francisco.