Scientist, Protein Expression & Purification

Adaptyv; Vaud; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Adaptyv in Lausanne, Switzerland, is building an automated lab infrastructure that enables AI-driven biology experiments and rapid protein development. We seek a hands-on scientist to scale mammalian expression and purification, driving high-titer, high-quality outputs on a production line.

You will lead CHO/HEK expression and purification, collaborate with automation and software teams, and push for robust, automated, high-throughput workflows. Start ASAP; on-site, full-time.

Qualifications

• Hands-on expertise in CHO/HEK expression and purification from construct to purified protein.
• Experience in production/industrial settings; scalable, reproducible results.
• Proven ability to improve titer, scale-up, and quality.
• Collaborative with automation and software teams; data-driven mindset.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and run mammalian expression hands-on (CHO/HEK, transient and stable).
• Own purification across modalities (Protein A, IEX, SEC) and the quality of the proteins shipped.
• Turn expression and purification into a productized, high-throughput, automated capability with predictable turnaround.
• Partner with lab automation to scale workflows onto automated systems, reducing manual steps.
• Work with the software team to track samples and process parameters, and make production yields observable and improvable.
• Set the quality bar and troubleshoot failures across biology, reagents, and process.

Skills

Mammalian protein expression

Protein purification

Laboratory automation

Data analysis / scripting

Tools

Lab automation systems

Process data tracking

Job description

Start date: ASAP

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 build out protein expression and purification at Adaptyv, with a focus on mammalian systems — CHO and HEK, transient and stable. This is the foundation the rest of the platform stands on: titers, quality, and turnaround here set the ceiling for everything downstream.

Your job is to take expression and purification from bespoke, person-dependent protocols to a robust, automated, high-throughput product. You’ll optimize and run the science hands-on, work with lab automation to scale it onto liquid handlers and automated systems, and work with the software team to track samples, capture process data, and make production observable and predictable. You’ll lead the science and stay deeply hands-on.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, optimize, and run mammalian expression hands-on (CHO/HEK, transient and stable), pushing titer, quality, and reproducibility.
• Own purification across modalities (Protein A, IEX, SEC, and related) and the quality of the proteins we ship.
• Turn expression and purification into a productized, high-throughput, automated capability with predictable turnaround.
• Partner with lab automation to scale workflows onto automated systems, and reduce manual, person-dependent steps.
• Work with the software team to track samples and process parameters, and make production yields and quality observable and improvable.
• Set the quality bar and troubleshoot the inevitable failures across biology, reagents, and process.

What We’re Looking For

• Deep, hands-on expertise in mammalian protein expression and purification — CHO/HEK, and the full path from construct to purified, characterized protein.
• Applied industry experience. You’ve run expression and purification in a production or industrial setting — where yield, reproducibility, and turnaround mattered at scale — not primarily in an academic research project. This is the core requirement.
• Track record of making production reliable — titer optimization, scale-up, and consistent quality, not one-off preps.
• Builder who moves fast. You want to stand up and continuously improve a production capability, not run a fixed protocol.
• Interdisciplinary. You collaborate naturally with automation engineers and software people, and you see automation and data as core to a modern production process.
• Data fluency (scripting, tracking and analyzing process data) is a strong plus.

Details

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

Application deadline

We are reviewing applicants on a rolling basis.