Head of Computational Biology

Head of Computational Biology (Confidential Search)

US | Onsite (Life Sciences / AI x Biology environment)

We are supporting a confidential, well-funded life sciences organization building next-generation infrastructure for AI-driven biological discovery. The company operates at the intersection of computational biology, large-scale biological data, and AI systems designed to generate evidence-based scientific insights.

We are seeking a Head of Computational Biology to define and lead the scientific and computational strategy behind how complex biological data is structured, interpreted, and translated into actionable insights.

Role Overview

This is a senior leadership role responsible for building the computational biology foundation of a platform that integrates multi-modal biological data and supports large-scale scientific reasoning.

You will work across biology, engineering, and AI teams to ensure that biological evidence generated by the system is rigorous, reproducible, and biologically meaningful.

This is a hands-on leadership position with both strategic and technical depth.

Core Focus Areas

• Define the computational biology strategy across discovery and translational research
• Design frameworks for integrating multi-omics and biomedical datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, clinical, literature, etc.)
• Build structured biological representations (ontologies, knowledge models, data standards)
• Develop validation and benchmarking frameworks for biological reasoning systems
• Identify uncertainty, conflicting evidence, and knowledge gaps across biological datasets
• Translate biological questions into computational workflows and scalable analytical systems
• Partner closely with AI/ML and engineering teams on scientific reasoning systems
• Establish data governance, provenance, and reproducibility standards
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing computational biology team

Ideal Background

• PhD or equivalent experience in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, Genetics, or related field
• Strong background in multi-omics data analysis and biological data interpretation
• Experience with large-scale biological datasets and knowledge systems
• Familiarity with statistical modeling, network biology, and ML methods in biology
• Ability to bridge biological concepts with computational implementation
• Experience leading scientific or computational biology teams
• Strong communication skills across scientific and technical audiences

Preferred Experience

• Drug discovery, precision medicine, or translational research
• AI/ML applied to life sciences
• Knowledge graphs, pathway analysis, or systems biology frameworks
• Biomarker discovery and validation
• Scientific literature mining / evidence synthesis systems
• Experience in biotech, pharma, or AI-driven biology platforms
• Exposure to foundation models or LLM-enabled scientific workflows

Collaboration Environment

You will work closely with:

• AI/ML and platform engineering teams
• Data engineering and infrastructure groups
• Scientific advisors and domain experts
• External research and biopharma partners