Member of Technical Staff, Virology

Posted 14 days ago

latchbioMillbrae (CA)

Biological Technicians Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)

SENIORITY

Lead

SALARY

$180k

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About the role

Member of Technical Staff - Virology As molecular data generation and frontier model intelligence grows, new approaches to data analysis are needed across the biotech industry. Latch is building intelligent, high performance agents for biological data analysis, empowering over 5,000 scientists across 150+ R&D labs to handle data from instrument-to-insights. We're seeking a Member of Technical Staff for Virology to lead our safety benchmarking efforts in the Biosecurity group, ensuring frontier artificial intelligence is deployed responsibly in biology.

About the Role: You will design our technical approach to understand how agents could be misused for biological harm, and measure where current safety guardrails fall short. You will work with research engineers and biologists to build benchmarks that measure whether AI systems can meaningfully assist with:

Designing and assessing virology experiments
Troubleshooting protocols and identifying where an AI-generated recommendation would fail in the wet lab
Interpreting viral genomes, proteins, mutations, and phenotypic data
Selecting, using, and evaluating bioinformatics and biological design tools
Planning iterative experimental workflows
Evaluating experimental feasibility across conditions
Identifying when AI systems provide inaccurate, unsafe, or incomplete guidance in dual-use contexts

Requirements:

PhD in virology or a closely related field, with doctoral or postdoctoral research centered on viruses
Substantial hands-on wet-lab virology experience, including experimental design, execution, and troubleshooting
Experience working in BSL-3 or high-containment BSL-2 laboratories
Have used or evaluated Large Language Models, biological foundation models, or AI-enabled biological design tools

Proficiency in Python and/or RCulture @ LatchHow we work. Genuinely flexible schedules - we just ask that you communicate when you're coming in later than usual. We care most about hard work and output. We're respectfully opinionated, it will always be us against problems, not each other. Optimize for each other's time and bring solutions, not just problems. You'll join a bench suited to your expertise, but we value cross-domain learning and interoperability across teams. The office & perks. Waterfront office near Oracle Park, 2x free daily meals, unlimited snacks, company outings most months, and team offsites. Plus a vibrant community: cycling, soccer, figure skating, boxing, run clubs, reading clubs, martial arts, music, game nights. Compensation & Logistics$180k+ base, increasing with technical depth and experience Variable compensation + equity + stock options 100% premium covered Blue Shield platinum health plan ($0 deductible / $0 out-of-pocket) Free meals (lunch and dinner) Waterfront office in China Basin, San Francisco Full-time, in-person

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