---
title: 'Principal Biologist at Aqemia'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-biologist-aqemia-paris-pgxvz8j49n69'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-15'
---

# Principal Biologist at Aqemia

- **Company:** Aqemia
- **Location:** Paris, France
- **Employment:** contract
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/aqemia.com/dd9b60a7-22dd-412c-ade5-0f23dd67d5d7

## Job description

## About AQEMIA

AQEMIA is a drug invention company dedicated to creating entirely new medicines to address major unmet medical needs. At the core of our mission is QEMI, our proprietary molecule-invention platform, which uniquely combines cutting-edge science with advanced technology. Powered by physics-based modeling, statistical mechanics, and generative AI, QEMI allows our teams to design novel drug candidates from first principles.

What makes AQEMIA different is our commitment to true innovation: our research is dedicated to the invention of new molecular entities, not the refinement of existing ones. We focus on inventing never-before-seen molecules, without relying on experimental data, and advancing them into a growing pipeline of proprietary programs and strategic partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies.

Our most advanced preclinical programs are currently in vivo optimization, targeting diseases still waiting for effective treatments, offering our teams the opportunity to work on science that can make a real difference in people’s lives.

For more information, visit AQEMIA.com, our WTTJ Page, and our LinkedIn.

## About our Team

AQEMIA brings together a diverse, multidisciplinary team of 80+ professionals based in Paris and London. Our scientists and engineers, including chemists, physicists, machine learning experts, and software engineers, work side by side to push the boundaries of early-stage drug discovery.

This close collaboration across disciplines is central to our approach, enabling us to tackle complex scientific challenges from first principles and translate cutting-edge ideas into novel therapeutic candidates. At AQEMIA, team members are encouraged to contribute their expertise, learn from one another, and play an active role in shaping the future of drug invention.

## About the Drug Discovery Team

The Drug Discovery Sciences team (~20 people) combines expertise in medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, biology, and translational science . Working at the intersection of AI-driven drug design, molecular simulations, and experimental science, the team is responsible for driving scientific excellence across Aqemia’s drug discovery programs and delivering clinical candidates. They develop and apply innovative methodologies ensuring that scientific insights translate into high-quality therapeutic opportunities. Partnering closely with Platform, Engineering, and Program teams, they play a critical role in advancing novel small-molecule therapeutics from concept to clinical candidate.

## The role

Join Aqemia in a role where you will help shape our rapidly expanding portfolio of small molecule programs across diverse therapeutic areas, beginning with oncology and immuno-oncology. This is a unique chance to build a pipeline working closely with the VP of biology, and multidisciplinary teams to accelerate the discovery of clinical candidates. You’ll become part of a dedicated team focusing on providing biological support across the Aqemia portfolio.

## Responsibilities

- Drive the identification, validation, and selection of novel biological targets aligned with clear unmet medical needs
- Contribute to early-stage project ideation by providing deep biological insight and a strong understanding of the drug discovery value chain
- Guide programs from early discovery into the AQEMIA pipeline, supporting progression toward proof of concept
- Design, implement, and maintain screening cascades to enable efficient compound evaluation and decision-making
- Partner with project teams to provide biological expertise, identify risks, and support data-driven prioritization
- Manage and collaborate with external CROs to define experimental strategies and ensure generation of high-quality, decision-enabling datasets
- Foster cross-functional collaboration, integrating biology with chemistry, modeling, and platform teams

## Qualifications

- PhD in biological sciences (e.g., pharmacology, molecular biology, chemical biology, biochemistry) or equivalent industry experience
- Strong experience in small molecule drug discovery, including progression from hit identification to candidate nomination
- Significant industry experience (typically ~8+ years) in early-stage drug discovery and project ideation
- Demonstrated expertise in oncology and/or immuno-oncology
- Solid understanding of experimental biology, with hands-on wet lab experience to effectively guide and challenge external partners
- Proven ability to apply rigorous, data-driven thinking in a multidisciplinary environment

Nice‑to‑Haves

- Experience working in a Contract Research Organization-based or highly outsourced R&D model
- Track record of contributing to innovative drug discovery strategies aligned with business objectives
- Experience in project or portfolio management across complex, cross-functional teams
- Strong ability to anticipate and mitigate scientific and strategic risks
- Familiarity with translational biology and biomarker strategies

Why Join Us? At AQEMIA, we work for a mission: joining us means having your own impact on changing the way drugs are discovered, and helping to shape the direction of our fast-growing company and team. Expanding Drug Discovery Pipeline : Focused on critical therapeutic areas like Oncology, CNS, Immuno-inflammation... with in vivo proof of concept/patent stage programs. Collaborations with top Pharma, including a $140M Sanofi deal. World-Class Interdisciplinary Team : work alongside exceptional talent at the intersection of technology and life sciences. Our teams combine deep expertise in AI, physics-based modeling, biology, and medicinal chemistry to push the boundaries of innovation. DeepTech Recognition: AQEMIA is proud to be part of the French Tech 40 and France 2030, highlighting our role as a key player in Europe’s DeepTech ecosystem. Prime Location with Flexibility : Our offices are located in the heart of Paris and London (King’s Cross), with flexible work arrangements including up to two remote days per week. Strong Financial Backing : $100M raised from leading European and International investors

## About Aqemia

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Aqemia is a Paris-based drug discovery company combining generative AI and deep physics to invent novel medicines for difficult-to-treat diseases.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture-backed, post-Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Paris, France (with a London, UK office at 29-31 Euston Road)
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Maximilien Levesque (CEO, physicist, former professor at École Normale Supérieure/CNRS) and Emmanuelle Martiano-Rolland (COO, former Principal at Boston Consulting Group)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Biotechnology Research / AI-driven drug discovery
- **Target Customers**: B2B — large pharmaceutical and biotech companies via partnerships, plus wholly owned proprietary drug programs
- **Mission**: To invent new medicines — never me-toos — tackling major diseases such as oncology, using physics-based generative AI to discover drug candidates beyond the reach of traditional R&D, without dependence on experimental data.

## Products & Services
- **QEMI Platform**: A proprietary drug discovery engine fusing fast, atomic-scale physics with state-of-the-art generative AI to predict drug-target affinities and design novel molecules rapidly and accurately. The platform removes the need for experimental training data, enabling frugal, scalable discovery.
- **Wholly Owned Drug Pipeline**: A portfolio of proprietary programs demonstrating superior efficacy and non-toxicity in vivo, with lead programs progressing through optimization.
- **Partnered Programs**: Collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies, alongside plans to spin out drug candidates into biotech spin-offs for clinical trials.
- **Moonshot Programs**: Indication-first initiatives targeting single diseases with high unmet medical need, running multiple shots on goal across different targets.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed
- **Annual Revenue**: USD 7.1M (latest available estimate)
- **Total Funding**: USD 119.7M across 8 rounds, including:
  - Pre-Seed (2019): USD 1.2M led by Elaia
  - Series A (May 2021): USD 10.8M led by Eurazeo
  - Series A (Jan 2021): USD 10.2M
  - Series A (Oct 2022): USD 19.5M led by Bpifrance
  - Grant (May 2025): USD 7.4M from France 2030
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Eurazeo, Bpifrance, Elaia, France 2030; collaborations with top pharmaceutical companies
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 76 employees (+13.2% YoY); workforce distributed across France (63%), UK (24%), and Switzerland (1%); part of the French Tech 120 program; 22,927 LinkedIn followers (+38.6% yearly); 11 active job postings with +37.5% monthly growth

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep Physics Foundation**: Built on 12+ years of academic research in theoretical physics at CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; recognized by the American Institute of Physics with 40+ peer-reviewed publications.
- **No Experimental Data Dependence**: Unlike conventional AI drug discovery, Aqemia's algorithms do not require experimental training data, enabling faster, cheaper, and more innovative molecule discovery.
- **Scalable Engine**: The QEMI platform allows the company to pursue dozens of drug candidates simultaneously, including "moonshot" programs targeting high-unmet-need diseases.
- **Frugal, Efficient Discovery**: Physics-first approach scales drug discovery cost-effectively, making it attractive for both proprietary and partnered programs.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling the pipeline to dozens of wholly or partly owned drug candidates and placing them into a constellation of biotech spin-offs for clinical trials.
- Balancing broad exploration across multiple targets with indication-first "moonshot" programs in high unmet need areas.
- Expanding collaborations with top pharmaceutical companies while growing proprietary programs.
- Continuing to recruit exceptional talent across life sciences, AI, software engineering, computational chemistry, and drug discovery in Paris and London.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Mission-driven, strongly collaborative international team at the crossroads of technology and life sciences; values collaboration, ownership, and meaningful impact.
- **Work Model**: Hybrid — full-time contracts in Paris and/or London.
- **Engineering & Science Culture**: Multidisciplinary team (Research 41%, Technical 17%) with a flat-ish seniority mix (Specialist 33%, Senior 14%, Manager 13%); talent sourced from top institutions including ENS, Inria, BenevolentAI, Exscientia, and BCG.
- **Compensation Benchmarks**: Software Engineer EUR 50,320/year; MLOps Engineer EUR 69,104/year; Intern Software Engineer EUR 15,634/month.
- **Open Roles (sample)**: Senior Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer, Senior Data Engineer, Engineering Manager - Compute Team, AI R&D Manager, Computational Chemist, Drug Discovery Program Leader, Senior People Operations Partner.
- **Employer Rating**: 3.4/5 from 21 reviews (Work-Life 3.6, Compensation 3.6, Culture 3.4, Career 3.5).
- **Impact**: Direct contribution to inventing new medicines for unsolved diseases, with science moving fast and everyone contributing to the drug discovery pipeline.

## Sources
1. [aqemia.com - Who We Are](https://aqemia.com/who-we-are)
2. [aqemia.com - Careers](https://aqemia.com/careers)
3. [aqemia.com - Pipeline](https://aqemia.com/pipeline)
4. [jobs.lever.co - Aqemia Open Roles](https://jobs.lever.co/aqemia.com)
5. [linkedin.com - Aqemia Company Page](https://linkedin.com/company/aqemia)
6. [welcometothejungle.com - Aqemia](https://www.welcometothejungle.com/fr/companies/aqemia)

## Other roles at Aqemia

- [Senior Legal Counsel](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-legal-counsel-aqemia-paris-78ep3z0x49nh) — Paris, France
- [Senior Data Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-engineer-aqemia-paris-ay2fz9mcagxp) — Paris, France
- [SRE](https://feeny.ai/job/sre-aqemia-paris-58rgkwat0ja8) — Paris, France
- [Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-aqemia-paris-hm22yhpqnj0x) — Paris, France
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