Research Acceleration Lead / Program Manager

About Valence Labs

Valence Labs is an AI research and productization engine within Recursion dedicated to industrializing scientific discovery to radically improve lives. Combining the intellectual freedom of academia with the resources and stability of industry, our focus is the development of highly-autonomous systems that will spearhead a fundamental shift in the way treatments are discovered and developed for complex disease. Our research is driven by optimism, purpose, and a shared vision for a healthier tomorrow. We publish in top journals and conferences, are deeply committed to open-science and open-source, and maintain some of the largest and most active research communities in our industry. Our team is located in London and Montreal, where we share close connections with Mila, the world’s largest deep learning research institute.

About The Role

We’re seeking an emerging Research Accelerator or Project Manager candidate to support, manage, and operate Valence research initiatives in support of our mission of industrializing scientific discovery to radically improve lives. We're looking for individuals who possess strong organization and leadership skills, able to navigate autonomously in a highly ambiguous environment.

This multifaceted role requires exceptional communication and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to plan complex research plans and product roadmaps involving cross-functional teams and external collaborators.

Additionally, with our deep open-science culture at Valence Labs, this candidate is expected to help support and grow the many community initiatives led by Valence (learn more at portal.valencelabs.com).

In this role, you will be:

• Helping our teams to more efficiently drive ambitious frontier research within the domain of ML for drug discovery.
• Helping our teams with their operations to accelerate their execution, including determining and communicating resource requirements, helping with the management of a portfolio of exploratory projects, and communicating their progress.
• Listening to the needs of the teams and be responsible for maintaining tools and implementing practices that will improve productivity and communication.
• Accountable for maintaining well-structured resources (ex. Drive, Notion) that will improve productivity and facilitate onboarding of new team members.
• Support the delivery of research and products on schedule, while helping maintain alignment with Valence’s mission and vision.
• Responsible for maintaining strong ties with external collaborators such as research communities, academia, and industry research labs.
• Supporting internal and external communication of product updates and research findings through talks, blog posts, publications, and conferences.
• Contribute to hiring efforts by helping to identify and manage a portfolio of international talent.
  
  
  

A successful candidate will have most of the following:

• Bachelor or Master’s in biology, chemistry, computational sciences, or relevant fields
• Experience in project and product management, including 2 years of experience in industry or a large research institute.
• A proven track record of delivering complex research projects or launching AI-related products.
• Strong communication, planning and organization skills, including the ability to coordinate across large technical teams
• Comfort working cross-functionally with interdisciplinary teams.
  
  
  

Nice to have:

• Scientific knowledge of artificial intelligence, biology, chemistry, or physics, along with previous experience working in a scientific environment across disciplines.
  
  
  

Valence Labs is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment, where understanding and accommodating personal needs and preferences is a priority. Join our multidisciplinary team of passionate researchers, eager to push the boundaries of ML research and contribute to industrializing scientific discovery to radically improve lives.