Biosecurity Investigator

10a Labs; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

10a Labs is seeking Biology Subject Matter Experts to support a project at the intersection of biology, biosecurity, and AI safety.

In this role, you will review and label exchanges involving biological topics against established policies and guidelines, supporting both automated monitoring systems and human review processes designed to identify potentially harmful biological content while preserving legitimate scientific and research use cases.

Qualifications

• Must have strong academic or professional background in biology or related fields.
• Ability to understand technical biological research terminology and concepts.
• Strong analytical judgment and attention to detail.
• Ability to apply written policies to complex biological scenarios.

Responsibilities

• Review and label biological and biotechnology-related content according to policies.
• Evaluate complex exchanges and document risk determinations.
• Distinguish legitimate research from dual-use or harmful content.
• Apply expertise across pathogen, microbiology, molecular biology, cancer biology, synthetic biology, or related fields.
• Identify ambiguous cases and document reasoning behind decisions.
• Help improve consistency and quality of safety review processes.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Policy interpretation

US work authorization

Time commitment 25 hrs/wk

Education

Biology or related field

Master's-level scientific training

Job description

About 10a Labs: 10a Labs is the safety and threat-intelligence layer trusted by frontier AI labs, AI unicorns, Fortune 10 companies, and leading global technology platforms. Our adversarial red teaming, model evaluations, and intelligence collection enable engineering, safety, and security teams to stay ahead of evolving threats and deploy AI systems safely.

We are primarily seeking candidates based in the Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, and Denver metropolitan areas. Candidates hired in these locations will be expected to work from a 10a Labs office at least two days per week.

All new hires will participate in in-person onboarding in Washington, DC, New York City, or San Francisco during their first week. Occasional travel may also be required for interviews, in-person meetings, and other business needs.

About the Role

10a Labs is seeking Biology Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to support a project at the intersection of biology, biosecurity, and AI safety.

In this role, you will review and label exchanges involving biological topics against established policies and guidelines. The work supports both automated monitoring systems and human review processes designed to identify potentially harmful biological content while preserving legitimate scientific and research use cases.

We're looking for people with enough technical depth in biology to recognize nuance—particularly when distinguishing legitimate scientific research from information that could present dual-use or misuse concerns.

What You'll Do

• Review and label biological and biotechnology-related content according to defined policies and guidelines.
• Evaluate technically complex or ambiguous biological exchanges and make consistent risk determinations.
• Distinguish legitimate scientific and research use cases from potentially harmful or dual-use applications.
• Apply subject-matter expertise across areas such as pathogen research, microbiology, molecular biology, cancer biology, synthetic biology, or related disciplines.
• Identify ambiguous or challenging cases and clearly document the reasoning behind decisions.
• Help improve the consistency and quality of biological safety review processes.

What We're Looking For

• Strong academic or professional background in biology, microbiology, virology, molecular biology, cancer biology, biotechnology, synthetic biology, or a related field.
• Ability to understand technical biological research, terminology, methods, and experimental concepts.
• Strong analytical judgment and attention to detail.
• Ability to consistently apply written policies to complex and ambiguous scientific scenarios.
• Interest or experience in biosecurity, biodefense, biosafety, biorisk, dual-use biotechnology, or biological threat assessment.
• Ability to commit at least 25 hours per week for one month.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Background

We're open to a range of educational and professional backgrounds. A PhD is not required.

Particularly relevant experience may include:

• Government, national security, or biodefense work involving biological threats.
• Biosecurity, biosafety, biorisk, or dual-use research.
• Pathogen, infectious disease, microbiology, or virology research.
• Cancer biology, molecular biology, genomics, or related biomedical research.
• Academic or industry research involving emerging biotechnology.
• Master's-level scientific training combined with government, biodefense, or biosecurity experience.

What You'll Gain

• Opportunity to apply deep biological knowledge to emerging challenges at the intersection of biotechnology, safety, and AI.
• Exposure to frontier AI capabilities and risks in biology.
• Opportunity to meet and work with leading researchers.
• Duration: 12 months
• Commitment: 40 hours per week
• Location: Remote – United States
• Compensation: $80–$120/hour, depending on experience