Director, Computational Biology

Aspire Life Sciences Search; Paris; Hybride; EUR 80 000 - 110 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A dynamic biopharma company in Paris is seeking a Computational Biology Lead to guide the evaluation and application of foundation models in drug development. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Computational Biology, extensive experience in biopharma R&D, and strong computational skills in Python and R. This role offers the opportunity to mentor junior members and work collaboratively with product and business teams. The position can be hybrid or remote, requiring regular travel to Paris for meetings.

Qualifications

• 4+ years professional experience in Biopharma R&D.
• Deep understanding of biopharma R&D use-cases and challenges.
• Extensive experience with end-to-end genomics and multi-omics datasets.

Responsabilités

• Identify and develop AI and foundation model approaches for biopharma.
• Mentor junior team members and provide domain expertise to R&D.
• Translate biopharma research questions into machine learning objectives.

Connaissances

Team-first attitude

Independent

Curious

Detail-oriented

Hands-on computational skills

Formation

PhD or equivalent experience in Computational Biology

Outils

Python

R

Cloud computing environments

Version control systems

Description du poste

We are seeking an experienced computational biology leader to guide the evaluation and real-world applications of our foundation models. The successful applicant will bring expertise in biology and data science to provide crucial scientific direction and tackle the most important problems in drug development and translational research.

Reporting to the Head of Computational Biology, this is a senior individual contributor role within our R&D team that will expand into management as the company grows. You will provide domain expertise to our research team, mentor junior team members, and collaborate closely with our Product and Business Development teams. This role can be based in our Paris office or remote, with expected regular travel to Paris for team meetings.

As a Computational Biology Lead, you will :

• Research & Innovation : Identify and develop AI and foundation model approaches to answer key questions in biopharma and translational research. Collaborate with our research team to identify, acquire, or generate new datasets and data modalities to incorporate into our models. Contribute to publications, patents, and case studies showcasing novel applications in pharma R&D.
• Leadership : Represent at conferences, workshops, and client meetings, demonstrating domain expertise and the potential of AI-driven drug development. Mentor junior team members and provide domain expertise to our R&D team.
• Bridge Research & Product : Translate biopharma research questions into actionable machine learning objectives and tasks. Work closely with product, business, and research teams to define feature priorities.
• Stakeholder Engagement : Serve as a trusted scientific partner during external technical discussions. Design proof-of-concept studies, address domain-specific queries, and deliver high-quality presentations that highlight the value of solutions. Provide ongoing training and support to partners on how to interpret and apply our foundation models in R&D pipelines. Help unlock actionable insights in transcriptomics, proteomics, histology, and beyond.

What you'll bring

The successful applicant will have a ‘team-first’ attitude; be independent, curious, and detail-oriented; thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment; and be fun to work with. We value individuals who bring deep domain expertise in pharmaceutical R&D alongside strong hands-on computational skills.

Educational background

• PhD or equivalent experience in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or related field.

BioPharma R&D experience

• 4+ years professional experience in Biopharma R&D.
• Deep understanding of biopharma R&D use-cases, challenges, tools and processes
• Ability to break down high-level biopharma use-cases into actionable recommendations for the research & product team (ex : evaluation metrics, data annotations, specific loss function, etc…)

Computational Biology

• Extensive experience working with end-to-end genomics and multi-omics datasets (transcriptomics, single-cell, proteomics, imaging, etc..), from dataset generation & QC, to the analysis and interpretations of results.
• Demonstrated expertise critically applying machine learning to computational biology, including scientific publications at high-impact journals and / or top conferences in the field.
• Deep experience in Python / R. Comfortable working in cloud computing environments and with version control systems

Exceptional communication skills

• Experience working in cross-functional environments and influencing the decision making of senior / executive stakeholders
• Capable of engaging both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Adept at crafting compelling presentations and scientific narratives for high-level stakeholders and internal teams.

How to stand out

• Translational Oncology / Immunology Research : Demonstrated experience leading computational biology efforts in translational research from IND filing to clinical trials.
• Single Cell & Spatial Expertise : Extensive experience in computational biology research, in particular in single cell and spatial domains, applying AI / ML models in translational or clinical research.
• Project Leadership Experience : Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Internal / External Leadership : A track record of impactful contributions to computational biology, drug discovery & development, or foundation models. Demonstrated success mentoring junior scientists.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset : Experience in a startup or innovative environment, showing adaptability, proactiveness, and eagerness to take on varied responsibilities.
• Stakeholder Management : Proven success in matrixed or consulting activities, shaping product offerings, and ensuring stakeholder satisfaction through ongoing relationship management.