About NATi: The Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi), hosted by A*STAR, is Singapore’s national platform dedicated to advancing RNA-based medicines and transforming drug and vaccine development. NATi’s mission is to establish Singapore as a globally recognised hub for nucleic acid therapeutics spanning discovery, clinical translation, and commercialisation.

NATi focuses on key RNA modalities including siRNA, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and mRNA, and is building a biotech-style translational engine to drive target discovery, asset creation, and technology innovation across high-impact disease areas.

Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced Scientist/ Senior Scientist – Target Discovery & Validation with deep expertise in human disease biology and target discovery to lead the identification and validation of novel targets druggable with RNA modalities for MASH, obesity, and metabolic diseases. This role provides scientific leadership for early-stage target identification and validation using human genetics, multi-omics, and disease biology–driven approaches. The successful candidate will translate computational and multi-omics outputs into clear biological hypotheses and actionable, prioritised targets suitable for  RNA therapeutics development.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Target Discovery: Own and advance a rolling portfolio of genetically and mechanistically supported targets for RNA therapeutics in MASH, obesity, and metabolic disorders, ensuring alignment with strategic and translational goals
• Translate Human Data into Actionable Biology: Translate and integrate human genetics , real world evidence and multi‑omics datasets to generate clear, testable hypotheses, mechanistic rationales, and strategies that link target modulation to clinically meaningful outcomes.
• Decision-Grade Target Selection: Establish and apply a standardised computational target ranking framework that supports transparent go / no-go decisions and reduces downstream attrition.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Serve as the scientific decision owner for target discovery, bridging and aligning bioinformatics, biology, and pharmacology teams to ensure computational findings are translated into shared milestones, actionable hypotheses, and clear success criteria.
• Define and Execute Target Enablement & Validation Strategies: Design and oversee fit‑for‑purpose validation plans using human‑relevant models and RNA‑compatible approaches to generate decision‑enabling data for advancement or deprioritisation of targets.

Human Disease Biology & Target Discovery:

• Define disease-relevant biological questions in MASH, obesity, and/or  metabolic  diseases that guide data interrogation and hypothesis generation.
• Identify causal or disease-modifying pathways across liver–adipose–muscle crosstalk and nominate intervention points amenable to modulation by RNA modalities.
• Articulate mechanistic rationales linking target perturbation to clinically meaningful outcomes (e.g., fibrosis regression, insulin sensitivity, muscle function).
  
  

Key Output: Mechanism-of-action models; disease pathway maps; target biology briefs supporting target advancement decisions.

Multi-Omics & Human Genetics Integration:

• Lead target discovery efforts by applying human genetics approaches (GWAS, rare variant analyses) and integrating multi-omics data (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics).
• Engage with bioinformaticians to review analysis plans, define statistical thresholds, and assess causality vs correlation.
• Triangulate evidence across multiple human datasets to quantify confidence in target–disease relationships.

Key Output: Genetically anchored target dossiers; reproducible analysis summaries

Target Prioritisation & Clinical Relevance

• Apply and continuously refine a quantitative target prioritisation framework incorporating:
• Strength and consistency of human genetic evidence
• Disease specificity and biological plausibility
• Tissue and cell-type expression
• Availability of translational biomarkers and clinical endpoints
• Targetability of target by siRNAs or ASOs
• Technical feasibility for siRNA / ASO delivery (liver, adipose, muscle)
• Develop and apply a structured framework to weight and score target confidence based on convergent evidence across genetics and multi-omics datasets.
• Explicitly link each prioritised target to disease-relevant clinical and translational endpoints across MASH, obesity and  cardiometabolic disorders

Key Output: Ranked target lists with decision rationales; documented go/no-go recommendations for drug discovery project; evidence-weighted confidence scores per target.

Qualifications & Experience

• PhD in Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics, Pharmacology, or related discipline
• A minimum of +5 (Scientist), +10 (Sr. Scientist) years of relevant experience in target discovery, human genetics, or translational disease biology in pharmaceutical and/or biotech organizations.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (Python or R) for data analysis, visualisation, and computational framework development
• Proven expertise in multi-omic data interpretation and integration with demonstrated experience collaborating with bioinformaticians on large-scale human disease datasets
• Strong background in metabolic disease biology, particularly MASH, obesity, and metabolic disorders
• Familiarity with RNA therapeutics modalities, including siRNA and ASO, and their target and tissue requirements
• Track record of identifying, prioritising, and advancing novel therapeutic targets through early-stage drug discovery.
• Strategic, hypothesis-driven thinker with excellent scientific communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to critically interpret and translate computational outputs for non-computational audiences
• Strong cross-functional collaborator, skilled at building alignment and driving outcomes across matrixed teams

Global Recruitment & Competitive Compensation

NATi is conducting a global search for top-tier talent in RNA therapeutics. We welcome applications from leading pharmaceuticals scientists and biotech innovators worldwide. 

This role provides a highly competitive compensation package aligned with global industry standards, including attractive benefits and long-term career growth opportunities within Singapore’s thriving biomedical innovation ecosystem. Join us in shaping the future of RNA-based medicines and establishing Singapore as a world-class hub for nucleic acid therapeutics.