Principal Scientist – Molecular Biology
London, United Kingdom
Employment Type: Full-time
We are seeking an accomplished Principal Scientist in Molecular Biology to lead the development and expansion of our gene delivery and expression platforms, enabling the precise deployment of candidate rejuvenation factors across diverse cellular systems.
About Us
We are a biotechnology company on a mission to therapeutically rejuvenate human cells to reverse the diseases of ageing. Our platform is based on a proprietary cocktail capable of safely and rapidly reprogramming aged somatic cells back to a youthful state, while preserving cellular identity.
By restoring function across multiple tissues and cell types, we aim to extend human healthspan and transform the treatment of degenerative and malignant diseases. Our early programs focus on haematological malignancies and age-related immune dysfunction, with systemic rejuvenation as our long-term goal.
We are a science-driven and mission-led team, united by a belief that rejuvenation biotechnology will redefine what is possible for human health.
Position
We are building a multi-omics discovery and screening platform to deconvolute the mechanisms underlying our proprietary rejuvenation treatment and to identify, validate, and prioritise novel reprogramming factors.
To support this effort, we are seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Principal Scientist in Molecular Biology to personally execute hands-on wet-lab work while maintaining, optimising, and expanding our gene delivery and expression platforms. This individual will be a bench-first experimentalist who designs and runs molecular biology workflows end-to-end, enabling robust expression of candidate rejuvenation factors across a wide range of target cell types, and directly supporting our preclinical discovery and therapeutic development programs.
This role will lead the expansion of our factor expression and delivery strategies, including lentiviral, mRNA, and protein-based systems, and will define plasmid and construct design approaches that support combinatorial and high-throughput screening. The Principal Scientist will also mentor and supervise junior scientists, helping to develop the next generation of researchers within the company.
This position sits at the core of our translational engine, bridging experimental discovery, bioinformatic prediction, and therapeutic development. Success in this role will lead to named inventorship on a growing patent portfolio and authorship on high-impact scientific publications.
Responsibilities
Molecular cloning and gene delivery
* Maintain and expand high-throughput cloning capabilities, including Golden Gate–based systems, to support preclinical research objectives.
* Design and generate recombinant expression vectors and nucleic acid constructs for downstream viral, mRNA, and protein production.
* Develop and optimise mRNA and other RNA modalities to drive controlled exogenous gene expression.
* Design and produce screening libraries, including ORF over-expression and CRISPR-based libraries, to assess and validate candidate rejuvenation factors.
* Platform development and collaboration
* Enable combinatorial and scalable expression strategies to support systematic factor discovery and validation.
* Work closely with bioinformatics, screening, and preclinical teams to translate predictions into experimental testing.
* Contribute to data interpretation, experimental design discussions, and scientific presentations.
Leadership and mentoring
* Supervise and mentor junior scientists, fostering technical excellence and scientific independence.
* Maintain rigorous experimental documentation and construct tracking.
* Promote best practices in molecular biology, data integrity, and reproducibility.
Requirements
* PhD in Molecular Biology or a related discipline, with at least five years of postdoctoral or industry experience in molecular cloning and vector design.
* Extensive hands-on experience with high-throughput cloning systems (for example, Golden Gate).
* Demonstrated expertise in plasmid and construct design, including the use of cloning design software (for example, SnapGene or equivalent).
* Experience with mRNA production, including in vitro transcription.
* Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, early-stage biotech environment.
* Proven ability to mentor and supervise other scientists.
* Willingness to learn and adapt new technologies and approaches as platform needs evolve.
Nice to Have
* Experience with protein engineering and polycistronic expression strategies.
* Prior involvement in high-throughput or pooled screening, including barcoded library design.
* Familiarity with novel RNA therapeutics, such as circular or self-amplifying RNA.
* Experience with emerging delivery modalities, including lipid nanoparticles.
* Familiarity with electronic laboratory notebooks (for example, Benchling).
* Experience with NGS-based assays.
* Deep domain expertise in one or more core areas, including cellular reprogramming, epigenetic regulation, cell differentiation, immunology, epithelial biology, or ageing.
Growth of the Role
We plan to raise our next financing round within the next two years as we advance towards IND-enabling studies in haematological malignancies. Following this financing, the scientific team will expand significantly, and early hires will assume increasingly senior leadership roles.
This role offers a clear pathway to broader platform leadership, team building, and strategic influence, as we expand our screening and multi-omics capabilities across additional cell types and biological mechanisms.
Benefits
* Competitive salary (£65,000–£75,000, commensurate with experience).
* Private health insurance.
* Company-matched pension scheme.
* Equity participation through an EMI stock option scheme (details to be confirmed).
* Opportunity to work at the forefront of rejuvenation biology in a highly collaborative, mission-driven environment.