AI Biologist - Metagenomics

latch.bio; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Latch is seeking an AI Biologist to join our Metagenomics team, advancing how AI agents handle complex microbiome datasets. You will build rigorous ground-truth benchmarks from published microbiome studies and work with software engineers and computational biologists to test analytical and interpretive steps performed by expert researchers.

Your deep expertise in microbiome biology and metagenomics will define how we measure agent capability, with a focus on identifying confounders and technical

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in microbiology, microbial ecology, bioinformatics, biology, or related field.
• 3+ years of hands-on research experience with microbiome or metagenomics data, demonstrated through publications or industry work.
• Deep expertise in at least one of: Human microbiome and disease (IBD, CRC, obesity); Longitudinal microbiome or microbiome interventions (FMT, diet, antibiotics); Microbial function and metabolism; Plant, soil, or environmental microbial ecology.
• Experience interpreting microbiome data in biological context and identifying confounders, technical artifacts, and limitations of the underlying experiments.
• Proficiency in Python and/or R for biological data analysis and visualization.
• Familiarity with 16S and/or shotgun metagenomics, including taxonomic, functional, and community-level analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop ground-truth benchmark datasets from real published microbiome studies.
• Assess how AI agents reason through complex microbiome and metagenomics data.
• Collaborate with software engineers and computational biologists to ensure rigorous benchmarks.
• Identify confounders and technical artifacts in datasets and interpret results.

Skills

Python

R

Metagenomics

Education

Master's or PhD in microbiology, microbial ecology, bioinformatics, biology, or related field

Job description

AI Biologist - Metagenomics

Latch builds rigorous scientific benchmarks (benchmarks.bio http://benchmarks.bio) for AI agents across biology. We work with frontier labs and pharma to measure whether agents can handle real biological workflows: the messy, multi-layer reasoning that matters in the field.

We're seeking an AI Biologist to join our Metagenomics team, working at the frontier of what artificial intelligence can achieve in biology.

About the Role

You will contribute to our technical approach for evaluating how AI agents reason through complex microbiome and metagenomics datasets. Working with software engineers and computational biologists, you'll build ground-truth benchmark datasets, drawn from real published microbiome studies, that rigorously test whether agents can perform the critical analytical and interpretive steps that expert microbiome researchers execute.

Your deep expertise in microbiome biology, metagenomics analysis, and the ability to identify confounders and technical artifacts will define how we measure agent capability in computational microbiology.

Requirements

• Master's or PhD in microbiology, microbial ecology, bioinformatics, biology, or related field
• 3+ years of hands-on research experience with microbiome or metagenomics data, demonstrated through publications or industry work
• Deep expertise in at least one of:
  • Human microbiome and disease (e.g. IBD, CRC, obesity)
  • Longitudinal microbiome or microbiome interventions (e.g. FMT, diet, antibiotics)
  • Microbial function and metabolism
  • Plant, soil, or environmental microbial ecology
• Experience interpreting microbiome data in biological context and identifying confounders, technical artifacts, and limitations of the underlying experiments
• Proficiency in Python and/or R for biological data analysis and visualization
• Familiarity with 16S and/or shotgun metagenomics, including taxonomic, functional, and community-level analysis

Nice‑to‑Have

• Hands-on experience designing or troubleshooting microbiome experiments, including sampling, extraction, controls, or library preparation
• Experience integrating metagenomics with metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, host omics, or clinical phenotypes
• Experience with strain-level analysis, metagenomic assembly, MAGs, or long-read sequencing

Culture @ Latch

We practice radical transparency: you'll know how the company is doing, what's working, and what isn't. It's always us against the problem, never each other. We're opinionated but respectful of each other's time, and we think through possible solutions before bringing a problem to anyone. We use AI constantly, so we reward original expert judgment, not AI output passed off as your own. You'll start on the bench that fits your expertise and can move across teams as you build a track record.

Outside of work: company outings most months, team off-sites, and a community that does cycling, soccer, figure skating, boxing, running, martial arts, music, books, and game nights.

Compensation & Logistics

Pay: $140K-$180K OTE (on-target earnings), with no ceiling.

• Your pay is your OTE times your weekly quota attainment. Hit quota, earn your OTE; double it, earn double. Example: $150K OTE at double quota = $300K.
• Your first 4 weeks (ramp) are paid at full OTE while we train you.
• You're paid full OTE whenever quota can't fairly apply: when a new project is starting, the platform goes down, or we pull you onto a special project.

In the US: full-time W-2

• Guaranteed base set by your state, paid every paycheck no matter what
• Health, dental, vision: 100% covered for you, 50% for dependents
• 401(k) (no match)
• PTO: 12 days to start, more as you're promoted

Outside the US: contractor

• Paid on performance, with a monthly advance of 60% of OTE that's never clawed back. US benefits don't apply.

Growth: two tracks, based on output, not tenure.

• Individual contributor: six levels, so up to five promotions, with OTE rising at each one.
• Management: after your first promotion, you can move into managing a pod if that's what you want.

Location: fully remote is fine; onsite is preferred, at our Mission Bay waterfront office in SF with catered lunch and dinner and unlimited snacks.

Work authorization: we sponsor H-1B (new and transfers), O-1, and TN, and support STEM OPT.

Interview Process

1. Take-home project (HackerRank). We review it as soon as it arrives.
2. Technical interview with a Member of Technical Staff (pod lead), scheduled right after your project review.
3. Culture interview with our C-suite.
4. Offer.
5. Background check, once you accept.