Machine Learning Researcher | Protein Engineering | Pre-seed startup

Machine Learning Researcher / Potential for late-stage co-founder

Location: London – 5 days on-site

Type: Full-time, permanent

Salary: £70,000 - £100,000 + generous equity

About the Company

An early-stage AI–biotech startup based in central London is developing next-generation protein design technology - combining deep learning with in-house experimental validation.

Their work sits at the intersection of machine learning, protein engineering, and wet-lab biology, using large-scale protein language models (PLMs) to design synthetic enzymes with specific, real-world properties.

The team is small but well-funded, with both AI and wet-lab capabilities already in place. They’re now looking for a senior BioAI scientist to help drive forward their protein modelling efforts and shape the direction of their AI research.

The Role

You’ll take ownership of the company’s AI-driven protein design pipeline - working on:

• Fine-tuning and deploying protein language models (PLMs) for de novo protein generation and optimisation
• Integrating deep mutational scanning (DMS) data with PLM embeddings to improve predictive accuracy
• Building and adapting MLDE (machine-learning–directed evolution) toolkits
• Leading large-scale PLM pre-training efforts (~tens of billions of parameters)
• Working closely with experimental biologists to validate model predictions in the lab

This is a hands-on role suited to someone comfortable writing code, training models, and steering early-stage research in a fast-moving environment.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Background in machine learning, computational biology, or bioinformatics (PhD or equivalent experience)
• Strong experience in protein sequence modelling, representation learning, or generative modelling
• Skilled in PyTorch / TensorFlow and modern transformer architectures
• Exposure to protein engineering, PLM fine-tuning, or MLDE approaches
• Able to bridge computational and experimental perspectives - and bring creative, independent ideas to the table

Why Join?

• Opportunity to build the AI foundation of a company that already has its wet-lab validation infrastructure in place
• Backed and funded, yet still small enough that your work will directly define the direction and outcomes of the company
• A chance to shape long-term BioAI strategy, with potential to move into a future leadership or co-founding role