Forward Deployed Scientist in London

Adaptyv is building an automated lab that lets AI agents run biology experiments. We're entering the era of agentic science where AI models can now design novel proteins, propose hypotheses, and iterate on experimental results. But they can't run the experiments themselves - that's still a manual, months-long process. We're building the infrastructure that gives AI agents access to the physical world. We are one of the fastest growing biotech companies, trusted by leading biopharmas, frontier AI labs, and the techbio companies pushing the field forward. This is a rare chance to help advance some of the most important work happening in biotech today.

Our automated lab is powered by a deep software + hardware stack: lab instruments worth millions of USD reverse-engineered into API-controllable hardware, dozens of devices orchestrated through complex workflows, full observability on everything that happens in the lab, processing pipelines for messy physical-world data, and AI systems that troubleshoot production results and accelerate assay development. We’re growing rapidly and are hiring for talented people to scale and support the massive demand for AI-driven wet lab experimentation.

About the Role: You work directly with scientists to design experiments, develop new assays and generate the data they need to advance their research. You'll combine hands-on experimental work in our automated lab with close scientific collaboration with the teams we support. In London, a large share of that work is with ARIA. Adaptyv has been selected for ARIA's second cohort of Activation Partners, and ARIA, the UK's Advanced Research + Invention Agency, is funding our new automated lab in London: the UK's first AI-native automated wet lab. ARIA backs ambitious research across opportunity spaces such as Sculpting Innate Immunity, Manufacturing Abundance and Programmable Plants. The teams it funds, called Creators, often need experimental capabilities that do not yet exist. You'll work directly with those teams to understand their scientific challenges, design and develop the assays they need, and work hands-on with our scientists to validate and bring these workflows onto our automation platform. Our goal is to help the next 100 UK biotechs and neopharmas get started by the end of 2028.

What You'll Do:

• Lead experimental projects with ARIA Creators.
• Work directly with research teams to translate their biological questions into experimental plans, defining targets, success criteria, constructs, controls and assays.
• Design and execute experiments.
• Take an active role in the lab, designing, running and troubleshooting experiments across protein expression, binding, biophysical characterisation and other workflows.
• Develop new experimental capabilities.
• When an ARIA programme needs an assay that does not yet exist, work with the Creator team and our scientists to develop it, validate it and bring it onto the automation platform.
• Turn data into decisions.
• Analyse binding, expression, stability and other assay data with Creators, interpret results and help determine which experiments to pursue next.
• Shape future ARIA programmes.
• Work with ARIA Programme Directors to understand the experimental capabilities upcoming Creator cohorts are likely to need and help us prepare for them.
• Build long-term scientific partnerships.
• Become a trusted scientific counterpart to the teams you work with, combining hands-on experimental expertise with an understanding of their research goals. Bring what you learn back into our science and platform roadmap.

What We're Looking For:

• Strong protein science foundation. A degree and/or hands-on experience in protein design, computational biology, biochemistry, structural biology or a related field.
• Biophysical characterisation experience. Deep hands-on experience with SPR, BLI, nanoDSF or related methods is required, including experimental design, data interpretation and troubleshooting.
• Experience developing and optimising assays. You know how to establish new experimental workflows, identify sources of variability, design appropriate controls and validate that an assay produces reliable data.
• Strong experimental data analysis skills. Able to interpret experimental results, assess data quality and use findings to guide subsequent experiments.
• Excellent scientific communication. Able to work closely with researchers, understand what they are trying to achieve and explain experimental approaches, results and trade-offs clearly.
• Comfort with ambiguity. You can take an underspecified scientific problem, form hypotheses, design the right experiments and iterate when things do not work.
• High ownership. You take responsibility for scientific outcomes, from initial experimental design through execution, troubleshooting and interpretation.
• Experience with lab automation, high-throughput experimentation or working with external scientific partners is a plus.

Details:

• Location: London, UK (on-site), with travel to customers and ARIA Creator sites, and regular time at our Lausanne lab.
• Type: Full time
• Start date: ASAP. Our London lab comes online in 2027.
• Application deadline: We are reviewing applicants on a rolling basis.