---
title: 'DNA Synthesis Platform Engineer at Adaptyv'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/dna-synthesis-platform-engineer-adaptyv-lausanne-dcvyd4apx8bv'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-17'
---

# DNA Synthesis Platform Engineer at Adaptyv

- **Company:** Adaptyv
- **Location:** Lausanne, Switzerland
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/adaptyv/65ff15a4-497a-4ec3-b3d6-5a3e90d03eb9

## Job description

Adaptyv is building an automated lab that lets AI agents run biology experiments. We're entering the era of agentic science where AI models can now design novel proteins, propose hypotheses, and iterate on experimental results. But they can't run the experiments themselves - that's still a manual, months-long process. We're building the infrastructure that gives AI agents access to the physical world. We are one of the fastest growing biotech companies, trusted by leading biopharmas, frontier AI labs, and the techbio companies pushing the field forward. This is a rare chance to help advance some of the most important work happening in biotech today. Our automated lab is powered by a deep software + hardware stack: lab instruments worth millions of USD reverse-engineered into API-controllable hardware, dozens of devices orchestrated through complex workflows, full observability on everything that happens in the lab, processing pipelines for messy physical-world data, and AI systems that troubleshoot production results and accelerate assay development. We’re growing rapidly and are hiring for talented people to scale and support the massive demand for AI-driven wet lab experimentation.

## About the Role

We're looking for a hands-on scientist-engineer to help build our next-generation DNA synthesis platform, enabling high-throughput, cost-effective production of large and diverse DNA libraries. You'll work at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, bioengineering, and hardware development, designing and building prototypes, running experiments, and optimizing processes to turn new synthesis technologies into reliable, scalable production systems. DNA synthesis is a fundamental part of our protein engineering platform. We're developing new approaches to dramatically increase synthesis throughput while reducing cost and turnaround time. You'll work closely with our scientific and engineering teams to develop and prototype new DNA synthesis technologies. Your focus will be on translating scientific concepts into working hardware and experimental systems, designing and building prototypes, testing different approaches, and continuously improving their performance. This is a highly hands-on, interdisciplinary role combining experimental science with practical engineering. You'll take ownership of prototype development, experimental validation, and process optimization, helping move promising technologies from early concepts to reliable, scalable systems. We're looking for someone who enjoys building things, solving technical problems, and working across disciplines. You don't need to be an expert in DNA synthesis, but you should have strong scientific fundamentals, an engineering mindset, and experience turning ideas into working prototypes.

## What You'll Do

- Design, build, and test prototypes for next-generation DNA synthesis technologies.
- Translate scientific and technical requirements into practical engineering designs and experimental setups.
- Scope and evaluate different technical approaches, components, materials, and equipment for prototype development.
- Develop and optimize the chemistry, materials, and processes underlying the synthesis platform.
- Design and execute experiments to characterize performance, identify limitations, and improve reliability.
- Work closely with mechanical, electronics, software, and automation engineers to develop integrated experimental systems.
- Troubleshoot complex technical problems across chemistry, hardware, and process engineering.
- Develop analytical methods and quality control strategies to measure performance and guide optimization.
- Help scale successful prototypes into robust, reproducible systems suitable for routine production.
- Work with external suppliers and engineering partners to source components, evaluate technologies, and accelerate development.

## What We're Looking For

- A strong background in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, bioengineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
- Hands-on experience designing, building, and testing experimental setups, prototypes, or laboratory equipment.
- Strong understanding of chemistry, materials, or process engineering, with the ability to apply these fundamentals to practical engineering challenges.
- Experience developing and optimizing experimental processes, including systematic troubleshooting and performance characterization.
- Comfortable working across hardware and experimental science, translating scientific requirements into practical engineering solutions.
- Experience selecting components, evaluating technical trade-offs, and iterating on prototype designs.
- Strong experimental skills, including designing experiments, analyzing data, and making decisions based on results.
- Independent, resourceful, and comfortable working on open-ended technical problems.
- A practical, hands-on approach to engineering, with a focus on building, testing, and improving systems rather than purely theoretical development.
- Experience with DNA or oligonucleotide synthesis, including chemical or enzymatic approaches, is a plus.
- Experience with solid-phase synthesis, surface chemistry, or chemical process development is a plus.
- Familiarity with microfluidics, high-throughput dispensing, or array-based technologies is a plus.
- Experience with laboratory automation, instrumentation, or custom hardware development is a plus.
- Experience with CAD, electronics, fluidics, or mechanical prototyping is a plus.
- Experience scaling experimental technologies from proof of concept to production is a plus.
- Programming and data analysis experience, particularly in Python, is a plus.

Details

- Location: Lausanne, Switzerland (on-site)
- Type: Full time
- Start date: ASAP

We review applications on a rolling basis.

Application deadline We are reviewing applicants on a rolling basis.

## About Adaptyv

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Adaptyv is a cloud lab that enables protein designers to validate and test novel protein designs using fully automated labs, delivering clean, AI-ready experimental data in under three weeks.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage — raised $10.9M total; last round: $8.0M Seed led by ACE Ventures in October 2025)
- **Headquarters**: Lausanne, Switzerland
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Daniel Nakhaee-Zadeh Gutierrez (Co-Founder) and Julian Englert (Co-Founder & CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biotechnology research / Protein engineering / Synthetic biology lab services
- **Target customers**: B2B — AI-first protein engineering teams, computational biologists, biotech/pharma R&D groups (both startups and established enterprises)
- **Mission statement**: “To make proteins easier to engineer” by building technologies that allow protein engineers to design and test new proteins for medicines, industrial enzymes, and functional materials [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/).

## Products & Services
- **Adaptyv Cloud Lab** (Primary offering): A fully automated protein validation lab. Clients submit protein sequences digitally; Adaptyv performs synthesis, expression, purification, and a wide range of assays, returning raw and labelled data in under 3 weeks. Priced at **$149 per protein** (includes 2 replicates). Data is accessible via a modern experiment management platform, eliminating email-based quoting and Excel sheets [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/).
- **Adaptyv API**: Programmatic access to the lab, allowing seamless integration into users’ design–build–test workflows. Supports high-throughput and automated submission [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/).
- **Experiment Management Platform**: Web-based dashboard to order assays, monitor progress, analyze results, and track historical performance of protein design rounds [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metrics**:
  - **Revenue**: $1.0M (estimated annual revenue per LinkedIn) [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)
  - **Total Funding**: $10,939,391 across four rounds (Pre-Seed via Y Combinator, Pre-Seed led by Founderful, Debt from Foundation for Innovation and Technology, and Seed from ACE Ventures) [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)
- **Notable Investors**: Y Combinator (Summer 2021 batch), Founderful, ACE Ventures (lead Seed round), Foundation for Innovation and Technology (FIT) [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Team size grew from ~25 (Y Combinator profile, 2025) to 31 employees (LinkedIn, 2026) — a **65% year-over-year increase** [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/adaptyv) [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)
  - 30 open positions listed on careers page (April 2026) [adaptyvbio.com/careers](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/careers)
  - Operates in 7 countries, with the majority of the team in Switzerland [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed**: Fastest protein validation lab — “go from sequence design to experimental data in under 3 weeks” [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/)
- **Data quality**: Automated, standardized lab processes produce consistent, labelled data that is directly useful for training generative AI models (billed as “lab-in-the-loop protein design”)
- **Transparent per‑protein pricing**: No hidden costs, no RFQ cycles — $149/protein simplifies budgeting for teams of all sizes
- **Purpose‑built for AI‑first workflows**: Seamless API and platform integration enables iterative design cycles, reducing time between computational predictions and wet-lab validation [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/)

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Scaling lab automation capacity to handle increasing demand; expanding the range of assays offered (biophysical, functional, cell-based); deepening integrations with AI protein design tools; growing the team across biology, software, and operations.
- **Direction**: To become the de facto “cloud lab” layer for the protein design stack, powering the world’s best AI-driven protein engineering teams [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/) [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: Emphasizes first‑principles thinking, data‑driven decision‑making, an action‑oriented mindset, and strong work ethic. The team is composed of talented engineers from molecular biology, lab automation, software engineering, and machine learning [adaptyvbio.com/careers](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/careers)
- **Location & Flexibility**: Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Most roles offer **hybrid** or **remote** arrangements (within Switzerland/Europe), with some roles listed as Lausanne/Hybrid/Remote [adaptyvbio.com/careers](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/careers)
- **Perks & Environment**: A chance to shape the infrastructure of protein engineering — building revolutionary technologies in synthetic biology and lab automation. The team has strong academic and startup roots (EPFL, Harvard, YC). Open roles include Software Engineers, AI/ML Engineers, Lab Automation Engineers, Scientists (Protein Expression, Antibody Developability, Cell-Based Assays), and Operations roles.
- **Open Positions**: 30 roles across software, biology, lab automation, and business development as of April 2026 [adaptyvbio.com/careers](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/careers)

## Sources
1. [adaptyvbio.com](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/)
2. [adaptyvbio.com/careers](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/careers)
3. [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/adaptyv)
4. [linkedin.com](https://ch.linkedin.com/company/adaptyvbio)
5. [adaptyvbio.com/team](https://www.adaptyvbio.com/team)

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