Research and development
STEM Expert – Biology & Bioinformatics (PhD)
Hyper Lychee Labs
New Zealand4 days ago
ContractEntry level
What the role involves
- Designing biology workflows
- Analyzing biological datasets
- Validating AI models
What they ask for
PhD in a related field or equivalent industry/research experience; C1 or higher written and spoken English; deep expertise and hands-on biological data analysis; Python and/or R proficiency and experience with standard subfield tools
- Doctorate
About the job
Job Type: Contractor
Location: Remote(Worldwide)
Job Summary: In this role, you’ll apply your expertise to help train next-generation AI systems. Your work will shape how models learn, reason, and perform through high-quality, real-world input.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, evaluate, and critique biology, bioinformatics, and computational biology workflows to support AI benchmarking initiatives.
- Provide expert-level insights on genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and other biological data analysis pipelines.
- Assess and optimize pipeline parameters, tool configurations, and statistical methods for accuracy and reproducibility.
- Analyze biological datasets (e.g., NGS, RNA-seq, single-cell, variant calling, protein structure) and provide actionable recommendations.
- Leverage domain knowledge to guide the development and validation of biology-related AI models and tools.
- Communicate complex scientific concepts clearly, both in writing and verbally, to technical and non-technical collaborators.
- Document findings, methodologies, and best practices to ensure knowledge transfer across the customer’s team.
Areas of Expertise (we welcome applicants from any of the following):
- Genomics & NGS analysis
- Transcriptomics & single-cell analysis
- Proteomics & structural biology
- Molecular & cell biology
- Systems biology & biological network analysis
- Drug discovery & computational pharmacology
- Biostatistics & machine learning applied to biology
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- PhD in biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, or a closely related STEM field, or equivalent industry/research experience.
- Professional written and spoken English (C1 or higher).
- Deep expertise in at least one of the areas listed above, with hands-on experience analyzing real biological data.
- Proficiency in Python and/or R for scientific analysis, plus experience with standard tools in your subfield (e.g., BLAST, samtools, GATK, Bioconductor, Biopython).
- Strong statistical, quantitative, and analytical reasoning skills.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication abilities, with the ability to clearly document and explain technical concepts.
- Track record of rigorous scientific problem-solving in complex biological domains.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience building reproducible workflows (Nextflow, Snakemake) and working in Linux/command-line environments.
- Experience with AI/ML-assisted biology workflows or benchmarking.
- Peer-reviewed publications, patents, or contributions to open-source bioinformatics software.
Applying for this job
What to show on your CV
- It asks for this qualification: Doctorate. Name yours exactly as it's awarded, with the year you finished.
- It names Python, R, BLAST, samtools, GATK and Bioconductor. Use the same words on your CV for the ones you've used, so a search finds them.
- For the work it describes, like "Designing biology workflows", give an example from your own experience, with a result you can talk about at an interview.
Our guides to the New Zealand CV format, cover letters and interview questions cover the rest.