Impress employers and recruiters.
Choose from hundreds of resume examples.

Target Resume Now

About the Role

Substrate is building autonomous wet labs for AI biology, integrated with foundation models to create critical infrastructure for AI-driven biological discovery. This role involves developing, validating, and operating screens that will eventually run autonomously, bridging the gap between manual execution and automated systems. Your work directly impacts the data used for training foundation models, making the lab itself a commercial asset.

Responsibilities

Develop, validate, and operate screens for autonomous execution on Substrate's workcells.
Perform manual screen development, including cell line preparation, library cloning and QC, lentivirus production, screen execution, and sequencing sample preparation.
Set reproducibility and quality thresholds for screens.
Work alongside automation engineers as screens transition to instrumentation.
Validate equivalence at every step of the automation process.
Collaborate with automation engineering and software teams on the boundary between scientific protocols and autonomous execution.
Design and run screens that are automation-ready from the first manual experiment.
Contribute to the proprietary dataset program that turns the lab into a commercial asset.
Execute experiments manually and semi-automatically for commercial customers.
Assist in onboarding new Scientists and Lab Technicians.
Write protocols and SOPs.
Contribute to co-design conversations with commercial customers, including foundation model partners.

Requirements

Hands-on cell culture experience, including CL2 wet-lab work with mammalian cell lines.
Hands-on experience in at least one component of pooled screening: cell line preparation, library cloning and QC, lentivirus production, screen execution, or sequencing sample prep.
Comfortable executing protocols at the bench through manual, semi-automated, and instrumented phases.
Track record of working alongside non-scientist colleagues (automation, software, computational) on a shared workflow.
Three or more years of post-PhD or equivalent industry experience in functional genomics, cell biology, or molecular biology with a screening-adjacent focus.
Strong hands-on competence in cell culture and in at least one of: library cloning, lentivirus production, single-cell capture, or NGS sample prep.
Ready to grow into protocol authorship and SOP ownership over the first 12 months.
Excited about designing, running, validating, and iterating on screens at the bench.
Comfortable in the detail.
Have done at least one screening modality end to end.
Pragmatic about being hands-on in the early phase.
Enjoy working at the boundary with non-biologist colleagues.
Able to collaborate with automation engineers, software engineers, and AI researchers without requiring them to be scientifically fluent.

Skills

Functional genomics
Cell culture
CL2 wet-lab work
Mammalian cell lines
Pooled screening
Cell line preparation
Library cloning
Quality control (QC)
Lentivirus production
Screen execution
Sequencing sample prep
Manual screen development
Semi-automated execution
Instrumented execution
Equivalence validation
Protocol development
SOP writing
Automation collaboration
Software collaboration
Computational collaboration
Cell line engineering
iPSC differentiation
CRISPR-edited stable cell line generation
Lab automation platforms
Structured experimental data capture
LIMS
ELN
AI/ML collaboration
Closed-loop perturbation programmes

Location

King's Cross, London

Work Type

In-person
Lab-based

Experience Level

Scientist
Principal Scientist
Three or more years of post-PhD or equivalent industry experience

Education Level

PhD or equivalent industry experience

Salary/Compensations

Competitive against the London market for functional genomics scientists at venture-backed companies, bands calibrated to seniority and scope.
Numbers will be discussed with serious candidates after first conversations.

Benefits

Options on the standard four-year vest with a one-year cliff.
30 days annual leave.
A learning budget for conferences, courses, books, and time.

About the Company

Substrate is spinning out of Automata, the UK lab automation company that has built the workcell platform our labs run on.
Our four co-founders are Mostafa ElSayed (CEO and founder of Automata), Oli Hoy (formerly VP Customer Experience at Automata), Alexey Morgunov (AI Scientist co-founder, leading the intelligence software product), and a Founding Biology Lead joining shortly.
We are aiming to have ramped up to 32 people by the end of Q1 2027.
We are funded by venture funding and government grants.
We are an autonomous lab platform with closed-loop integration available as one operating mode for foundation model partners.
We are not a cloud lab and we are not a CRO.

Equal Opportunity

Substrate is an equal opportunity employer.
We make hiring decisions on merit, scope-fit, and the strength of the working relationship we expect to build with each hire.
Applications welcome from candidates of any background.