Senior Bioinformatics Scientist / Computational Biology Lead

Our client is an emerging diagnostics company founded by former DARPA program leaders, focused on unlocking epigenetic signals to transform early detection and disease monitoring. Leveraging advanced methylation-based approaches and AI-driven analytics, our client is building a next-generation platform spanning oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. With a validated lung diagnostic and a growing pipeline across pancreatic, breast, and neurodegenerative indications, it is entering a critical phase of platform and pipeline expansion.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist / Computational Biology Lead who thrives in a startup environment and can bridge biology, data science, and product development. This is a high-impact role focused on shaping how biological data is translated into actionable signals—owning the design, interpretation, and optimization of bioinformatics pipelines that sit at the core of our platform.

You will act as both a builder and translator: someone who can write and evaluate code, interrogate biological signals, and guide how data flows into—and out of—our platform. This role sits at the core of the platform. You won’t just analyze data—you’ll define how a biological signal becomes a product. Your work will directly shape diagnostics across multiple disease areas and help determine how the platform scales.

What You’ll Do

Pipeline & Data Architecture

• Design, build, and optimize bioinformatics pipelines for epigenetic (methylation) data
• Define how data should be structured as it moves from wet lab → computational systems → platform outputs
• Ensure robustness, scalability, and reproducibility of data workflows

Signal Interpretation Translation

• Analyze complex biological datasets to identify meaningful signals and patterns
• Define expected signal profiles and parameters across disease indications
• Translate outputs from AI/ML models into biologically and clinically relevant insights
• Act as a “human-in-the-loop” to tune models and validate outputs

Study Design & Analytical Strategy

• Contribute to study design, including cohort structure, endpoints, and analytical approaches
• Guide how data should be generated to maximize signal detection and downstream utility
• Perform deep-dive analyses to answer: What are we seeing in the data—and what does it mean?

Platform Integration

• Define inputs and outputs for the computational platform
• Collaborate with engineering and data science teams to ensure seamless data integration
• Build or guide the development of code for data ingestion, processing, and output

Scientific Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a senior thought partner to leadership, providing strategic guidance and “sanity checks” on data and approach
• Collaborate cross-functionally with wet lab, AI/ML, and product teams
• Help shape the long-term bioinformatics and data strategy of the company

What We’re Looking For

Core Expertise

• Strong background in bioinformatics, computational biology, or related field (PhD preferred)
• Proven experience building and working with end-to-end bioinformatics pipelines
• Deep understanding of omics data analysis, ideally DNA methylation/epigenetics

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Python, R, or similar languages
• Experience with data pipeline development, workflow tools, and cloud environments
• Familiarity with AI/ML workflows and how models interact with biological data

Domain Experience (Highly Preferred)

• Experience with methylation data and epigenetic signal processing
• Background in oncology diagnostics or biomarker development
• Exposure to multi-indication pipelines (e.g., cancer + neurodegenerative diseases)

Mindset

• Startup-oriented: comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and ownership
• Ability to move between hands-on coding and high-level strategy
• Strong scientific intuition—able to question, validate, and refine signal
• Collaborative and pragmatic problem solver

Current Pipeline Focus

• Lung cancer (validated test)
• Pancreatic cancer (in development)
• Breast cancer (in development)
• Neurodegenerative diseases (expanding into multiple indications)

Compensation & Structure

• Flexible structure (full-time or senior consultant/advisor with path to full-time)
• Opportunity to work closely with experienced operators and build a category-defining platform