Molecular Design & DNA Nanotechnology Lead

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward an abundant future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to dramatically accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive scientific progress.

Unlike traditional non-profit research organizations, projects supported by Astera operate like high-velocity startups, allowing us to focus on ambitious goals, match structure to problem, and attract strong technical talent and leadership. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming here.

The Astera Institute is seeking a Molecular Design & DNA Nanotechnology Lead to lead the design and wet-lab fabrication of a DNA-origami electrostatic actuator — a charged origami plate/polymer/electrode stack that, driven by an applied field, produces controlled nanometer-scale motion through a force-transmitting linkage. This position reports to Dr. Jeremy Barton (Astera Institute Resident, Project Lead). This is a full-time position.

• →

  Design the DNA-origami actuator mechanism — the charged drive plate, the force-transmitting structure, and the amplifying lever or four-bar linkage — that turns a small electrostatic deflection of the plate into a larger, controlled output displacement within a sub-200-nanometer footprint.

• →

  Use coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulation (e.g., oxDNA) to predict the mechanism's mechanical behavior — stiffness, compliance, and thermal stability of its motion — and iterate the design.

• →

  Fold and optimize the DNA origami in the wet lab (annealing, buffer, and magnesium conditions), and design the site-specific chemistry that anchors the plate and mechanism to the device surface.

• →

  Own folding yield and quality control, and prepare structures for characterization by atomic-force microscopy (AFM), cryo-electron microscopy, and single-molecule fluorescence.

• →

  Lead a small, interdisciplinary founding team and collaborate closely with device-physics, controls, and computational colleagues.

• PhD in structural DNA nanotechnology, biophysics, bioengineering, chemistry, or a related field, with demonstrated DNA-origami design and folding experience.

• Proficiency with DNA-nanostructure design tools and coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulation (e.g., caDNAno, oxDNA).

• Hands-on wet-lab command of folding, gel and AFM quality control, and purification.

• A track record of taking nanoscale structures from design through to characterized, functional devices.

• Ability to lead a small interdisciplinary team and communicate across disciplines.

This position is on site at our office in Emeryville, CA. Some travel may be required from time-to-time for in-person collaboration and work.

• Bias to action – you launch and iterate on thoughtful experiments rather than waiting for perfect plans, and you're energized by novel problems.

• Flexible by default – you don't draw hard lines around your job description and expect your role to evolve significantly over 6–12 months.

• High standards, internally driven – you hold yourself to the bar of building world-class public goods without benchmarking against others.

• Operate with the highest levels of integrity, judgment, and stewardship – you treat residents, peers, and vendors with genuine respect for their time and contributions.

• Embrace the tools that define great work today – Astera is building for an AI-driven future and equips the team accordingly; we see these as genuine force multipliers, not optional extras.