Founding Scientist / Co-Founder

About the Role We are an early-stage startup working at the intersection of AI and wet labs, operating within the aerospace and defense sector. This is a rare founding-level opportunity for a senior scientist who wants to shape both scientific strategy and company direction from day one. You will combine hands-on biological expertise with computational thinking to build core technology, define research direction, and bridge laboratory work with AI-driven workflows to accelerate discovery. Work arrangement: On-site | Visa sponsorship: Not available - candidates must be eligible to work in the UK without sponsorship. What You'll Do • Define and lead the scientific vision and research roadmap for early-stage AI + wet-lab products. • Design and execute key molecular biology, biochemistry, or genomics experiments to validate models and assays. • Collaborate closely with engineers and ML researchers to translate experimental needs into computational requirements. • Implement and oversee lab automation and data pipelines to scale experiments and improve reproducibility. • Prototype computational tools and analyses; contribute code or notebooks to integrate wet-lab data with models. • Mentor and recruit early scientific hires; establish laboratory best practices and safety standards. • Apply AI/ML methods to biological data within aerospace and defense sector constraints. What We're Looking For Required: • PhD in Biotechnology, Genomics, Biology, or a closely related field. • Senior-level research experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, biotech, or a related discipline. • Demonstrated experience applying AI/ML to biological data (computational biology or bioinformatics). • Experience in aerospace or defense domains and understanding of sector-specific constraints. • Comfortable with computational thinking and coding; ML experience is a plus but not required. • Training or research background at leading research institutions or universities. Nice to Have: • Prior experience at AI-for-biology companies, biotech startups, or similar industry environments. • Lab automation experience and enthusiasm for integrating AI with wet-lab workflows. • Prior founder experience or direct experience scaling early-stage teams and operations. • Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration skills. • Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort with ambiguity in a fast-paced startup environment. Location This is a full-time, on-site role based in London, United Kingdom. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK - visa sponsorship is not available. Compensation & Benefits Compensation details have not been specified for this role. As a founding-level position, equity participation is expected to be a meaningful component of the overall package. Details will be discussed directly with candidates during the interview process. Originally posted on Himalayas