---
title: 'Research Associate, Molecular Biology at Adaptyv'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/research-associate-molecular-biology-adaptyv-lausanne-z0b7h1p24s82'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-24'
---

# Research Associate, Molecular Biology at Adaptyv

- **Company:** Adaptyv
- **Location:** Lausanne, Switzerland
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-24
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/adaptyv/8cdef07a-1803-4679-b039-c66c8e307518

## 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

You'll work in our biology & production team running protein expression, DNA assembly, and characterization workflows. We run thousands of constructs per week across cell-free and cell-based expression systems, high-throughput DNA synthesis and assembly, and binding/stability characterization (BLI, SPR, enzymatic assays).

## What You'll Do

- Run protein expression workflows: cell-free (PURE, lysate-based), E. coli, and potentially mammalian systems.
- Execute DNA synthesis and assembly protocols at high throughput: PCR, Golden Gate, Gibson.
- Run binding and characterization assays: BLI, SPR, thermostability, enzyme activity, developability assays.
- Troubleshoot when proteins don't express, misfold, or aggregate.
- Prepare reagents, manage samples, and track experiments in LabOS.
- Analyze experimental data: expression gels, chromatograms, binding curves.
- Work with the automation team to adapt bench protocols for robotic workflows.

## What We're Looking For

- BSc / MSc in molecular biology, biochemistry, or a relevant field. Hands-on bench time matters more than the degree.
- Practical molecular biology skills: PCR, cloning, gel electrophoresis, DNA purification. You've done these yourself, not just read about them.
- Protein expression experience. You've expressed recombinant proteins in at least one system and understand the basics.
- Experience with DNA assembly methods (Golden Gate, Gibson, restriction cloning). High-throughput experience is a plus.
- Familiarity with biophysical and analytical characterization techniques. We use BLI, SPR, plate reader assays, nanoDSF, HPLC-SEC, and CE-SDS. You don't need all of them, but you should have hands-on experience with at least a few.
- Comfortable scripting in Python or similar. You don't need to be a software engineer, but you should be able to write a script to parse data, generate plate maps, or automate a repetitive analysis.
- Organized and precise. Hundreds of constructs per week means you track everything and follow protocols exactly.
- Strong work ethic. Experiments don't always finish at 6pm.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced environment where priorities shift and you figure things out yourself.

Details

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

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)

## Other roles at Adaptyv

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