At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead scientific projects that merge biology and machine learning for real-world impact.
- Company: Helical, a pioneering company in computational biology and ML.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, leadership opportunities, and a chance to mentor junior scientists.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on innovative solutions in biology.
- Why this job: Make a difference in drug development while working with cutting-edge technology.
- 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
- Strong passion for building at the intersection of biology and machine learning
Principal Scientist (Comp. Bio/Ml) - Director Level employer: Helical
HeliCal is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, where cutting-edge research in computational biology meets real-world applications. Employees benefit from mentorship opportunities, professional growth, and the chance to work alongside industry leaders in a vibrant location that encourages creativity and scientific exploration. With a strong commitment to employee development and impactful projects, HeliCal offers a rewarding environment for those passionate about advancing drug development through machine learning.
