At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead impactful projects in computational biology and machine learning for drug development.
- Company: Innovative biotech firm focused on real-world scientific discoveries.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, mentorship opportunities, and a dynamic work environment.
- Other info: Join a fast-paced team with excellent growth potential and leadership opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a difference by translating cutting-edge science into practical solutions.
- Qualifications: PhD or MSc in relevant fields with industry experience in ML applications.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
We’re looking for a Principal Computational Scientist/Director to help translate our foundation models into impactful, real-world discovery workflows. In this role, you’ll provide scientific leadership across model evaluation and applied use cases, ensuring our work stays grounded in the most relevant challenges in drug development and translational research.
You’ll join as a senior individual contributor with leadership and strategy experience at a point where the team scales. You will act as a key scientific partner to our research team, mentor and support junior colleagues, and work closely with Product and Business Development to turn cutting-edge biology + ML into deliverables that matter for customers.
Requirements
- PhD in Computational Biology, Machine Learning, Bioinformatics, or a related field, with a strong focus on Transcriptomics OR Genomics + ML, and 2+ years of industry (non-academic) experience OR MSc in a relevant field and 5+ years of industry experience applying ML to Transcriptomics OR Genomics problems
- Strong understanding of ML/AI methods for biological data (e.g., transformers, VAEs, diffusion models, classical ML)
- Hands-on experience with modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch (or equivalent)
- Leadership experience with small teams to work towards defined roadmaps or projects
- Excellent communication skills — able to translate complex science into clear, actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, high-iteration environment, moving quickly from prototype → experiment → insight
- Strong passion for building at the intersection of biology and machine learning
Principal Scientist (Comp. Bio/ML) - Director Level in London employer: Helical
Helical is an exceptional employer for those looking to make a meaningful impact in the field of drug discovery through innovative AI solutions. With a founder-led, talent-dense team based in London, we foster a fast-paced work culture that values ownership and creativity, offering interns the chance to work directly with senior leadership and shape the future of our operations. Our commitment to employee growth is evident as we provide opportunities for full-time positions and encourage the use of cutting-edge tools to transform workflows, making every day at Helical a rewarding experience.
