Member of Technical Staff, Virology

LatchBio

$180K — $216K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • PhD in virology or a closely related field, with research focused on viruses.
  • Hands-on wet-lab experience in virology, including experimental design and troubleshooting.
  • Experience in BSL-3 or high-containment BSL-2 laboratories.
  • Familiarity with Large Language Models or AI-driven biological design tools.
  • Proficient in Python and/or R programming languages.

Responsibilities

  • Design technical approaches to assess biological misuse risks.
  • Collaborate with engineers and biologists on virology experiments.
  • Troubleshoot protocols to pinpoint AI-generated recommendation failures in labs.
  • Interpret viral genomic and phenotypic data.
  • Select and evaluate bioinformatics and biological design tools.
  • Plan and iterate experimental workflows.
  • Assess feasibility of experiments under varying conditions.

Benefits

  • 100% premium covered Blue Shield platinum health plan with $0 deductible and out-of-pocket costs.
  • Free meals provided for lunch and dinner.
  • Office located on the waterfront in China Basin, San Francisco.
  • Full-time, in-person working arrangement.
Full Job Description
Member of Technical Staff - Virology

You will design our technical approach to understand how agents could be misused for biological harm, and measure where current safety guardrails fall short.

You will work with research engineers and biologists to build evaluations that measure whether AI systems can meaningfully assist with:
  • Designing and assessing virology experiments
  • Troubleshooting protocols and identifying where an AI-generated recommendation would fail in the wet lab
  • Interpreting viral genomes, proteins, mutations, and phenotypic data
  • Selecting, using, and evaluating bioinformatics and biological design tools
  • Planning iterative experimental workflows
  • Evaluating experimental feasibility across conditions
  • Identifying when AI systems provide inaccurate, unsafe, or incomplete guidance in dual-use contexts

Requirements
  • PhD in virology or a closely related field, with doctoral or postdoctoral research centered on viruses
  • Substantial hands-on wet-lab virology experience, including experimental design, execution, and troubleshooting
  • Experience working in BSL-3 or high-containment BSL-2 laboratories
  • Have used used or evaluated Large Language Models, biological foundation models, or AI-enabled biological design tools
  • Proficiency in Python and/or R

Compensation & Logistics
  • $180k+ base, increasing with technical depth and experience
  • Variable compensation + equity + stock options
  • 100% premium covered Blue Shield platinum health plan ($0 deductible / $0 out-of-pocket)
  • Free meals (lunch and dinner)
  • Waterfront office in China Basin, San Francisco
  • Full-time, in-person

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