Principal (Planetary Health) - UK

BioInnovation Institute (BII); Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

BioInnovation Institute (BII) is seeking a Principal to lead the Planetary Health team from its UK hub in London, in partnership with ARIA. You will scout and assess early-stage innovations across food, chemistry, materials, energy, and water tech, guiding researchers and founders from lab to spin-out.

You will build UK networks, manage day-to-day programs with the London team, and help structure acceleration activities across BII and ARIA.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in relevant field (biotechnology, food/agriculture, chemical, materials, energy engineering)
• 10+ years in commercialization of life science or deep tech (VC/investor, startup, accelerator, or TTO)
• Experience maturing translational, early-stage planetary health projects toward spin-out or investment

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with UK academic and commercial stakeholders to establish venture creation support with ARIA
• Coordinate day-to-day operations with London colleagues and Planetary Health team in Denmark
• Identify early-stage innovations across green-transition tech and link to acceleration programs
• Support chosen startups from application to milestone delivery and spin-out transition
• Map landscape to identify gaps and trends in planetary health for program alignment
• Establish partnerships with UK innovation ecosystem including investors and public funders
• Represent BII at conferences and networks
• Provide process optimization and coaching to colleagues

Skills

Planetary health

Stakeholder networking

English communication

Project management

Team collaboration

Strategic thinking

Education

MSc/PhD relevant to planetary health

Job description

Can you spot the research that could power the green transition - and help turn it into a company? Are you excited about bringing some of the UK's most ambitious science to market as part of BII's partnership with ARIA? Then we might have the perfect opportunity at BioInnovation Institute, where we are looking for a Principal to join the Planetary Health team in our Venture Creation department, based at our UK hub in London.

Your Opportunity to Join BII!

The BioInnovation Institute (BII) is a non-profit foundation established by the Novo Nordisk Foundation in 2018. Its mission is to accelerate research and startups to bring forward bold solutions that improve human and planetary health. BII supports collaborative, interdisciplinary innovation across Life Sciences and Deep Tech, helping transform cutting-edge research into viable companies so that new discoveries can deliver real impact for people and society.

BII is an Activation Partner of the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) - a partnership that gives us access to a strong pipeline of ambitious UK research and helps turn breakthrough science into companies with real-world impact.

As a Principal, you will join BII's Planetary Health team, one of three specialist teams in our Venture Creation department alongside Human Health and Quantum. In collaboration with ARIA, we will be running two acceleration programs from our London hub, helping promising UK research teams secure the expertise, networks, and capital needed to commercialize.

In this role, you will scout and assess early-stage innovation across food and agriculture, synthetic biology, advanced materials, carbon capture and utilization, energy and Power-to-X, water tech, and other technologies enabling the green transition - and support researchers and founders all the way from lab to independent spin-out. If you thrive in a dynamic environment and want your work to make a real difference, this is the opportunity for you!

Your Key Responsibilities Will Include

• Build relationships with key academic and commercial stakeholders and institutions in the UK to establish and develop BII's venture creation support as ARIA's Activation Partner within Planetary Health
• Drive day-to-day business activities and operations together with local colleagues in London, in close collaboration with the Planetary Health team in Denmark
• Engage with ARIA, academics, and founders to identify early-stage innovation and opportunities for the acceleration programs across BII's broad planetary health remit - covering food and agriculture, synthetic biology, advanced materials, carbon capture and utilization, energy and Power-to-X, water tech, and other technologies enabling the green transition
• Support selected startups and projects in BII's acceleration programs - from application and evaluation to progress monitoring, milestone delivery, connecting to relevant networks and the transition to independent spin-outs
• Map the landscape to identify gaps and emerging trends within Planetary Health relevant to the startups and projects in the programs
• Help establish and maintain partnerships across the UK innovation ecosystem, including corporate and industrial partners, investors, and public funding bodies
• Represent BII at relevant conferences, events, and networks
• Provide support across BII, help optimize processes and approaches, and offer professional sparring and coaching to colleagues

Professional & Personal Qualifications

We are looking for an experienced venture builder, motivated to bring science to life for a greener planet. Ideally, you bring:

• An MSc or PhD relevant to planetary health, e.g. biotechnology, food and agricultural science, or chemical, materials or energy engineering; an MBA or equivalent business experience is a plus
• 10+ years of relevant experience, including a demonstrated track record of supporting and/or driving the commercialization of life science or deep tech innovations, e.g. at a VC/investor, start-up, accelerator or TTO
• Experience maturing translational, early-stage, research-backed planetary health or deep tech projects towards spin-out and investment, e.g. from universities, incubators, accelerators or investors - including an understanding of scale-up, capital intensity and routes to market in industrial sectors
• The ability to evaluate and develop planetary health innovation from scientific, technical and commercial perspectives, and to distinguish research projects from venture-backable projects
• A demonstrated ability to build networks and maintain relationships within the UK research and innovation ecosystem as well as the wider EU area
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English

On a personal level, you are comfortable driving projects independently as well as working collaboratively in a team, depending on the needs of the organization. As part of a small, growing team in London working closely with the Planetary Health team in Denmark, you thrive on collaborating across BII's hubs.

Working at BII

At BII we offer a purpose-driven community where science and innovation create meaningful change and impact in society. BII's entrepreneurial environment is shaped and nurtured every day by our employees, start-ups, and everyone who joins us in bringing science to life. This role offers a unique opportunity to join Europe's largest innovation and incubation initiative within life sciences and deep tech.

BII is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, at Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen N. From Copenhagen, the Secretariat supports strategy, governance, and coordination across BII's international activities.

Location

This position is based at our UK hub at Victoria House in Bloomsbury, in the heart of London's Knowledge Quarter. From here, you will help build BII's UK activities as ARIA's Activation Partner and collaborate closely with the Venture Creation team in Copenhagen.

Equal Opportunities

At BII, we believe innovation starts with people. As a community of changemakers, we believe the best ideas emerge when people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences come together around a shared purpose.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace built on equal opportunities, where everyone can thrive and where pay is fair, equitable, and based on the principle of equal pay for equal work. We welcome all applications regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or socio-economic background.

Curious for more?

If you are curious to know more about the position, please contact Christan Brix, Director of the Planetary Health team, at [e-mail].