Head of Computational Biology

Epoch Biodesign
Epoch Biodesign is a well-funded, venture-backed start-up using biology to make every type of plastic recyclable. Using a unique combination of AI, synthetic biology and green chemistry, we are scaling enzymatic recycling processes to transform unrecyclable plastics into new sustainable materials and chemical building blocks. These processes yield substantial reductions in carbon emissions and prevent waste from entering landfill or the environment. They also generate disruptive unit economics, allowing us to scale our solutions quickly to solve this urgent challenge. We're already working with major players across polymer manufacturing, fashion and automotive, and are scaling up to our first demo production facility in 2025.

We're seeking an experienced and innovative computational biologist to lead our Computational Biology program. This is a key role in the organisation, so there is an opportunity to make a real difference. We're all passionate about sustainability and the environment.

Role
Reporting to the CEO, you will play a crucial role in leading and further developing the Computational Biology team, with a key focus on extending our AI capabilities in applying ML methods to optimise and design new enzymes to be used in our industrial processes.

Responsibilities
Team leadership and development

1. Line management and development of a diverse team of computational scientists, including data engineers, ML engineers, protein design specialists and automation scientists
2. Further development of the team, including implementation of a strategy for extending the team and recruiting appropriately
3. Project management, including both wet and dry lab projects

Scientific leadership

1. Defining and executing the continued evolution of Epoch's AI strategy and technical development
2. Acting as a point of contact between the computational biology team, other Heads of Departments and the senior management team
3. Working with other Heads of Department to introduce new methods, driving our experimental work to take a greater AI focus

External relationship management

1. Managing relationships between Epoch and external providers, including our IT support provider, software vendors and Cloud computing providers

Development work

1. When necessary, taking a 'hands-on' approach to development efforts, including coding of ML models, data analysis pipelines and management of Cloud computing infrastructure

Essential Expertise And Background
Education

1. PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology or other relevant numerical discipline, or a lower degree and extensive industrial experience in the field

Industry Experience

1. Minimum of 5 years of industrial experience in a senior computational biology role
2. Proven expertise in the application of AI methods to computational biology problems
3. Previous start-up experience

Technical skills

1. Excellent scientific software development skills, specifically in Python
2. Proven expertise in the application of AI methods to computational biology problems
3. Cloud computing experience, ideally on GCP
4. Experience with relational databases, SQL and schema
5. Experience in protein engineering
6. An understanding of existing AI tools and their application to protein engineering, including generative methods such as proteinMPNN and RFdiffusion, LLMs such as ESM2/3 and structure prediction approaches such as AlphaFold

Domain knowledge

1. An understanding of molecular and/or synthetic biology
2. Previous experience with next generation sequencing data
3. Experience with analysis and management of scientific data, which may include mass spectrometry, spectrophotometry, flow cytometry, etc

Project and Team Management

1. Proven ability to independently design, plan, and execute project tasks and software development processes
2. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
3. Ability to produce and present technical information for internal and external audiences
4. Experience managing, mentoring, and developing junior and senior developers

Benefits:

1. A generous allowance of 30 days paid holiday (plus the usual 8 bank holidays)
2. Meaningful EMI Share Options
3. A non-contributory pension of 9% employer contribution
4. Optional company covered private medical insurance with Vitality
5. Group Income Protection
6. Group Critical Illness
7. Flexible working around the core times of 10am to 4pm
8. Cycle to work scheme
9. The opportunity to be part of building something remarkable

On-the-job perks

1. Complementary fresh fruit, coffee, tea and snacks
2. Onsite gym
3. Various staff social activities

And we are always in the process of reviewing and implementing further on-the-job perks!#J-18808-Ljbffr