---
title: 'AI Biologist - SpatialBench-Long at LatchBio'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ai-biologist-spatialbench-long-latchbio-san-francisco-fq6pfdtd50gh'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# AI Biologist - SpatialBench-Long at LatchBio

- **Company:** LatchBio
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/latchbio/bc70bab3-e6b6-4af2-b5b8-4528b54cea64

## Job description

## AI BIOLOGIST - SPATIALBENCH-LONG

As molecular data generation and frontier model intelligence grows, new approaches to data analysis are needed across the biotech industry. Latch is building intelligent, high-performance agents for biological data analysis, empowering over 5,000 scientists across 150+ R&D labs to handle data from instrument-to-insights.

We're seeking a Bioinformatics Engineer to join our Spatial team, working at the frontier of what artificial intelligence can achieve in biology.

## About the Role

You design tasks that test whether AI agents can work through real spatial transcriptomics projects. It's not about whether they can run a tool, it's whether they understand how decisions cascade. You pick how to align tissue images, which affects how you segment cell boundaries, which determines which unmixing method works, which shapes everything downstream. We're testing if they get that ripple effect. You'd be pulling from real published papers, building multi-stage tasks, and grading whether agents understand the why behind each choice, not just the mechanics.

## Requirements

- Systems thinking across spatial workflows: You understand how image preprocessing (tissue alignment, background removal) affects segmentation quality; why nucleus-level segmentation demands different deconvolution (RCTD, Tangram, SPOTlight, STRIDE) than spot-level data; when morphological features matter for downstream inference
- Domain-specific judgment: You know the trade-offs between platforms (Visium's spots vs. MERFISH's near-cellular resolution vs. Xenium's high-plex imaging); when to deconvolve spots vs. when to segment first; how cell density and tissue morphology constrain method choice
- Tool flexibility: You learn spatial tools (Baysor, STdeconvolve, giotto, Squidpy) and image-processing pipelines as needed
- Task design: You build multi-checkpoint benchmarks where agents must handle registration failures, justify segmentation thresholds, and defend deconvolution assumptions in tissues with variable morphology

Culture @ Latch

How we work. Genuinely flexible schedules, we just ask that you communicate when you're coming in later than usual. We care most about hard work and output. We're respectfully opinionated, it will always be us against problems, not each other. Optimize for each other's time and bring solutions, not just problems. You'll join a bench suited to your expertise, but we value cross-domain learning and interoperability across teams.

The office & perks. Waterfront office near Oracle Park, 2x free daily meals, unlimited snacks, company outings most months, and team offsites. Plus a vibrant team: cycling, soccer, figure skating, boxing, run clubs, reading clubs, martial arts, music, game nights.

## Compensation & Logistics

- 1099 (or W8-BEN) contract, 40 hrs/week, no end date
- Fully performance-based pay: $120K–$180K, uncapped upside. 2x quota = 2x pay.
- 2-4 week paid ramp - full OTE from day one
- Remote (globally), hybrid, or onsite in SF (onsite preferred)
- Work authorization: OPT visa holders only (not STEM Extension)
- Onsite perks: 2x free meals/day, waterfront office (China Basin), monthly parking (based on availability)
- Candidates with all of the above qualifications + proven management skills will be eligible for more senior positions

Interview Process

Timeline: We move fast: 8–12 days from submission to offer.

1. Intro Screen - Technical Recruiter
2. Take-Home Project - HackerRank
3. Technical Interview - Member of Technical Staff
4. Culture Interview - C-Suite (If applicable)
5. Offer

## About LatchBio

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: LatchBio builds and deploys frontier AI agents for biological data analysis, serving over 300 biopharma and R&D labs worldwide.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; total funding $33.2M)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Alfredo Andere (CEO) and Kenny Workman (CTO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Biotechnology Research / AI for biology
- Target customers: B2B – biopharma companies, academic R&D labs, and solution providers (kits, assays, instrument vendors)
- Mission: Deploy AI agents into real scientific work to accelerate data analysis and drug discovery

## Products & Services
- **Latch Platform**: A unified, serverless bioinformatics platform that lets scientists run, track, and debug pipelines via an SDK-generated no-code interface. Supports FastQ, CSV, H5AD, TIFF, and other formats. Agents can analyze messy real-world data.
- **Latch SDK**: Python toolchain to define serverless workflows and dynamically generate no-code UIs, removing cloud-infrastructure overhead.
- **agent.bio**: Public, interactive sandbox where frontier AI agents (e.g., Claude 4.8 Opus) analyze biological data. Supports 40+ solution providers.
- **benchmarks.bio**: Open, reproducible benchmarks measuring AI agent performance on spatial, single-cell, epigenomics, and preclinical pharmacology data. Includes papers like scBench-Long, TxBench-PP, etc.
- **White-labeled data analysis**: Solution providers can offer a branded, simpler analysis experience for their kits and services.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of ~$1.0M (LinkedIn estimate); total funding $33.2M
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Coatue, Lux Capital, Fifty Years, Haystack, Gelt, Backend Capital; individual investors include George Church, Jeff Dean, Hemant Taneja, Laura Deming, Alec Nielsen
- **Growth Signals**: 140% YoY headcount growth (from ~11 to 26 employees); 300+ biopharma and academic teams served; 40+ solution providers onboarded; recent publication of multiple benchmark papers (2025–2026)

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover in AI agents for biology**: Combines frontier LLMs with rigorous, verifiable benchmarks tailored to biological data (spatial, single-cell, epigenomics, pharmacology).
- **Open benchmarks & reproducibility**: All benchmarks (e.g., scBench-Long) are published openly, building trust and attracting top talent.
- **White-labeling for solution providers**: Allows kit and instrument vendors to offer AI-powered data analysis under their own brand, creating a network effect.
- **Tight integration with real lab workflows**: Supports common file formats and interfaces with existing pipelines, reducing friction for scientists.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue research and deployment of AI agents for biology, with emphasis on long-horizon tasks and messy real-world data.
- Expand the agent.bio sandbox to more solution providers and biopharma customers.
- Publish additional benchmarks (spatial, preclinical) to establish Latch as the standard evaluator of AI in biology.
- Grow engineering and bioinformatics teams to accelerate platform development.

## Why Work Here
- **Engineering culture**: Small, high-autonomy team where engineers own features end-to-end and see their code impact thousands of scientists the same day. Reading groups on category theory, immunology, and more.
- **Remote/hybrid policy**: Not explicitly stated, but headquarters in San Francisco; office parking subsidized. Likely in-office with flexibility.
- **Notable perks**: Unlimited PTO, 100%-subsidized platinum health plan (Cigna) + 75% for dependents, dental/vision, 401(k), ambitious equity, 12+ meals weekly, annual tech stipend, signing bonus, O-1 visa sponsorship, professional development.
- **Team size**: ~26 employees, with 65% in technical roles (engineering, bioinformatics, research). Flat structure with direct access to founders.
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapid headcount growth and expanding customer base offer career acceleration opportunities.

## Sources
1. [latch.bio](https://latch.bio/)
2. [latch.bio/about](https://latch.bio/about)
3. [linkedin.com/company/latchbio](https://www.linkedin.com/company/latchbio)
4. [cbinsights.com/company/latch-bio](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/latch-bio)
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/latchbio](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/latchbio)

## Other roles at LatchBio

- [AI Biologist - Cancer Biology (Applications)](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-biologist-cancer-biology-applications-latchbio-san-francisco-vzs1tgmtxc40) — San Francisco, CA
- [Research Partnerships Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/research-partnerships-lead-latchbio-san-francisco-w3cn8phxd4p6) — San Francisco, CA
- [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-latchbio-san-francisco-8x1p6p2tc58a) — San Francisco, CA
- [AI Biologist - Metagenomics](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-biologist-metagenomics-latchbio-san-francisco-gwgartjr88ym) — San Francisco, CA
- [Member of Technical Staff, Translational Medicine](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-translational-medicine-latchbio-san-francisco-285vtn4ndp1z) — San Francisco, CA
- [Member of Technical Staff, Virology](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-virology-latchbio-san-francisco-024n38fr9e7n) — San Francisco, CA
- [AI Biologist - Oligonucleotide Drug Discovery](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-biologist-oligonucleotide-drug-discovery-latchbio-san-francisco-70tmvnpejcfb) — San Francisco, CA
- [Member of Technical Staff](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-latchbio-san-francisco-avna2aphbqbh) — San Francisco, CA
- [Member of Technical Staff, Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-infrastructure-latchbio-san-francisco-31msmk59eg6s) — San Francisco, CA
- [AI Biologist - Function](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-biologist-function-latchbio-san-francisco-hh6bvz3w6nsm) — San Francisco, CA