---
title: 'Lead Scientist / Associate Director, Bioinformatics and Data Science at Profluent'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-scientist-associate-director-bioinformatics-and-data-science-profluent-vdkp2feygcje'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Lead Scientist / Associate Director, Bioinformatics and Data Science at Profluent

- **Company:** Profluent
- **Location:** Emeryville, CA
- **Compensation:** $205k–$246k
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2025-11-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/profluent/jobs/4983485008

## Job description

Profluent is the frontier AI lab for biology. Profluent builds powerful foundation models for all of life's molecules, unlocking solutions that transform medicine, agriculture, and beyond. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Emeryville, CA, Profluent is backed by leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Bezos Expeditions, Spark Capital, Insight Partners, Air Street Capital, AIX Ventures, and Convergent Ventures and has raised over $150M to date.

We’re seeking an experienced computational scientist to lead the design, development, and operation of the NGS analysis platform that powers Profluent’s gene editing, protein design, and therapeutic programs. You’ll work at the intersection of computational biology, software engineering, and experimental biology to build scalable systems that extract clear, actionable insights from large-scale sequencing data.

This is a high-impact leadership role at the intersection of computational biology, experimental science, and software engineering. You’ll define how Profluent characterizes the activity and specificity of novel gene editors, establish rigorous and reproducible practices across bioinformatics and data science, and mentor and grow a team as our platform and therapeutic programs scale.

## Responsibilities

- Lead the development and operation of Profluent’s NGS analysis platform for gene editing, protein design, and therapeutic programs
- Develop scalable pipelines and analytical methods for new sequencing assays
- Partner with wet-lab teams to design, test, troubleshoot, and validate new assays
- Lead computational characterization of gene-editor on-target activity, specificity, and off-target effects
- Translate sequencing data into clear biological insights, program decisions, and regulatory-ready analyses
- Collaborate with computational teams to curate high-quality datasets for model training and evaluation
- Establish rigorous, reproducible practices for analytical validation, testing, documentation, and code review
- Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing bioinformatics and data science team

## Qualifications

- PhD or MS in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field
- PhD with 5+ years or MS with 7+ years of industry experience applying NGS and computational analysis to gene or cell therapy development
- Deep expertise in the design, analysis, and interpretation of high-throughput sequencing assays
- Strong programming and quantitative analysis skills, particularly in Python
- Proven ability to translate complex sequencing data into clear biological insights and program decisions
- Experience partnering closely with experimental scientists to guide assay design, troubleshoot results, and define follow-up studies
- Demonstrated scientific leadership, including setting analytical strategy, leading complex cross-functional projects, and mentoring computational scientists
- Experience developing scalable, reproducible, and well-validated computational workflows

Preferences

- Experience with CRISPR-based gene editing data and analysis
- Familiarity with SQL and data modeling for biological or experimental data
- Experience with LIMS platforms (e.g., Benchling) and lab data integration
- Track record of developing production-quality scientific software and tools

## What We Offer

- High-growth opportunity with meaningful impact on the future of protein design
- Competitive compensation package with equity participation
- 401(k) with a strong employer match
- Comprehensive benefits including health/dental/vision insurance
- Generous PTO policy and commitment to work-life balance
- Professional development opportunities in a cutting-edge field at the intersection of AI and biology

Profluent Bio, Inc is an equal opportunity employer promoting diversity and inclusion in the workspace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), genetic information, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law.

Work Authorization Requirement

Applicants must have ongoing work authorization in the United States that does not require employer sponsorship. Sponsorship will not be provided now or at any time in the future for this position.

Employment Eligibility Verification

Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired must verify their identity and work eligibility and complete the required employment verification form upon hire. Hiring Salary Range $205,379—$245,632 USD

NOTICE TO STAFFING AND SEARCH FIRMS: Profluent does not accept unsolicited candidate submissions. We ask that agencies refrain from sending resumes to our careers inbox, hiring managers, or any Profluent employee. Any resume submitted without a signed agreement and an active search request from our Talent team will be treated as the property of Profluent, and no placement fee will be owed.

## About Profluent

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Profluent is an AI-first protein design company that develops deep generative models to design and validate novel, functional proteins for biomedicine, agriculture, and other industries.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B; total funding $150M)
- **Headquarters**: Emeryville, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Ali Madani (CEO), Alexander Meeske

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Genetic Medicine
- **Target customers**: B2B – pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, agricultural companies, and research institutions
- **Mission statement**: "Decode the language of life with AI" – using AI to author new biology and create solutions that transform medicine, agriculture, and beyond.

## Products & Services
- **OpenCRISPR**: The world's first AI-designed gene editor, made open-source to accelerate genome editing research. Based on a novel nuclease generated by Profluent's generative AI.
- **AI Protein Design Platform**: A proprietary platform that writes proteins from scratch or by reimagining natural scaffolds, enabling rapid design of proteins for therapeutic, industrial, and agricultural applications.
- **Partnerships (e.g., Eli Lilly)**: Collaborations to develop AI-designed recombinases for genetic medicine, with deal value up to $2.25 billion.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric (Total Funding)**: $150M raised across multiple rounds (Seed $9M in 2022, Venture Round $35M in 2024, Series B $106M in 2025)
- **Notable Investors**: Altimeter Capital, Bezos Expeditions, Spark Capital, Insight Partners, Air Street Capital, AIX Ventures, Convergent Ventures
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Headcount grew 78.4% YoY (53 employees as of mid-2026)
  - Published generative AI research in Nature (July 2025)
  - Secured a landmark partnership with Eli Lilly (up to $2.25B in milestones)
  - LinkedIn followers grew 67.8% in the past year (11,906 followers)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Pioneering AI-first protein design**: One of the few companies translating large language models (LLMs) to biology, with demonstrated ability to create functional gene editors from scratch.
- **Open-source gene editing**: OpenCRISPR-1 provides a freely available AI-designed nuclease, establishing thought leadership and potential ecosystem lock-in.
- **Cross-disciplinary team**: Combines top ML talent (from Salesforce, Meta, Amazon) with leading biologists (from CRISPR pioneers, UCSF, Harvard, Arc Institute).
- **Published in top journals**: Nature publication validates the scientific rigor of their approach.

## Strategic Focus
- Advance AI-designed recombinases for in vivo gene editing through the Lilly partnership
- Expand platform to design enzymes, antibodies, and industrial proteins
- Continue open-source releases to drive adoption and attract top research talent
- Scale headcount across ML, biology, and bioinformatics functions

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Mission**: Opportunity to work at the frontier of AI and biology, authoring new proteins that can transform medicine and agriculture. Team culture emphasizes curiosity, societal impact, and breakthrough science.
- **Work Policy**: Hybrid – most roles require 2-3 days on-site at the Emeryville, CA headquarters. Some lab-based roles (e.g., in vivo pharmacology, LNP formulation) are fully on-site.
- **Team mix**: Diverse backgrounds spanning ML science, structural biology, software engineering, and drug discovery. Flat structure with direct access to founders and top domain experts.
- **Notable perks**: Backed by top-tier investors; highly collaborative environment; opportunities to publish and release open-source work.
- **Growth trajectory**: Fast-growing company (78% headcount increase in last year) with substantial funding runway and a high-profile pharma partnership, offering strong career progression.

## Sources
1. [profluent.bio](https://www.profluent.bio/)
2. [Greenhouse Jobs at Profluent](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/profluent)
3. [LinkedIn Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/profluent-bio)
4. [CB Insights Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/profluent-bio)

## Other roles at Profluent

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