We've been exclusively engaged by our client, a London-based AI-Native TechBio company, to find their next Director of Computational Biology. The company uses computational and experimental biology together to find new therapeutic targets in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded by a team of scientists and engineers who were frustrated by how disconnected \"wet\" and \"dry\" biology usually are, they've built their lab and software stack side by side from day one. Every computational model is grounded in data they generate themselves, and every experiment is informed by what the models find.
About the Role
We're looking for a Director of Computational Biology to build and lead a high-impact team at the intersection of biology, data science, and machine learning. You'll shape our computational strategy, translate complex biological questions into tractable analytical problems, and help drive discoveries from bench to insight. This is a rare opportunity to build a function from a position of real influence — setting scientific direction, hiring the team, and shaping how computation is embedded across the organisation.
What You'll Do
- Define and lead the computational biology strategy, aligning it with broader R&D and business goals
- Build, mentor, and grow a team of computational biologists, bioinformaticians, and ML scientists
- Partner closely with wet-lab biology, chemistry, clinical, and data engineering teams to embed computational thinking across the pipeline
- Drive the design and application of methods spanning genomics, multi-omics integration, structural biology, and/or machine learning for target discovery and validation
- Own the computational infrastructure, tooling, and data strategy that underpins the science
- Represent computational biology externally — with academic collaborators, investors, and scientific advisory boards
- Translate ambiguous biological problems into clear, well-scoped computational projects with measurable outcomes
What We're Looking For
- PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Genomics, Computer Science, or a related field
- Significant experience leading computational biology or bioinformatics teams, ideally in biotech, pharma, or a research-intensive environment
- A strong publication record and/or a track record of computational work that directly influenced experimental or clinical decisions
- Deep fluency in at least one core area (e.g. genomics, proteomics, single-cell analysis, structural biology, or ML/AI applied to biology), with working knowledge across others
- Proven ability to build and scale teams, including hiring, mentoring, and setting technical direction
- Comfort operating at both a strategic level (roadmaps, cross-functional alignment) and a hands-on level when needed
- Excellent communication skills — able to make complex computational work legible to biologists, and biological nuance legible to computational colleagues
Nice to Have
- Experience working with large-scale multi-omics or clinical datasets
- Familiarity with cloud-based computational infrastructure (AWS/GCP) at scale
- Prior experience in a startup or scale-up environment
- Contributions to open-source scientific software
Director of Computational Biology in Slough employer: Barrington James
Barrington James is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, making it an ideal place for professionals in Epidemiology and Real-World Evidence. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, we offer tailored development opportunities and the chance to lead impactful projects across diverse therapeutic areas in the dynamic UK/Europe market. Join us to be part of a team that values flexibility, creativity, and meaningful contributions to healthcare advancements.
