Research Scientist​/Engineer, Biological Models

Location: City of London

Research Scientist/Engineer, Biological Models

Join AI Security Institute as a Research Scientist/Engineer focusing on biological models. This role is part of the Chem Bio (CB) team, a multidisciplinary group of AI, biology, and policy experts working to understand and mitigate advanced AI risks in scientific research.

About the Chem Bio Team

The CB team conducts technical research on evolving AI capabilities related to science R&D, biological misuse, and safeguards. Our mission is to inform critical decisions on security, opportunities, policy, and risk mitigation made by governments and AI developers.

Role Responsibilities

• Join a small, talent‑driven, multidisciplinary team evaluating state‑of‑the‑art AI models for engineering biology.
• Set up and deploy leading biological models and evaluate these models in line with AISI's research objectives.
• Design and deliver evaluations and experiments to assess capabilities of AI models in fields such as protein design, structure prediction, and biological foundation models.
• Lead research projects to understand the feasibility and effectiveness of potential technical safeguards for biological models.
• Investigate critical research questions at the intersection of AI and biosecurity, contributing to a technical evidence base used to advise and inform wider cross‑government efforts.

Requirements

• Background in machine learning, having worked directly on training, tuning or evaluating machine learning models using PyTorch or similar.
• Experience working on leading biological AI models, such as protein design models, structure prediction or scientific foundation models.
• Experience writing production‑level Python code that is scalable, robust and easy to maintain, ideally in a team.
• Sufficient knowledge of biology and machine learning concepts to understand and stay on the frontier of AI × Bio research literature.
• A sense of mission, urgency, and responsibility for success; demonstrated ability to solve challenging problems and acquire any missing knowledge necessary to get the job done.
• Motivation to conduct technical research with an emphasis on direct policy impact.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a dynamic, multidisciplinary team environment.

Other Core Requirements

• Spend at least 9 days per fortnight working with us.
• Work from our office in London (Whitehall) at least 3 days per week.
• Be UK‑based and, if applicable, UK nationals (including dual nationals holding British citizenship).
• Appointment is conditional on successfully completing UK Government SC clearance; prior clearance is not required—we will sponsor and support you.

What We Offer Impact you couldn't have anywhere else

• Incredibly talented, mission‑driven and supportive colleagues.
• Direct influence on how frontier AI is governed and deployed globally.
• Work with the Prime Minister’s AI Advisor and leading AI companies.
• Opportunity to shape the first & best‑resourced public‑interest research team focused on AI security.

Resources & Access

• Pre‑release access to multiple frontier models and ample compute.
• Extensive operational support so you can focus on research and ship quickly.
• Work with experts across national security, policy, AI research and adjacent sciences.

Growth & Autonomy

• Own important problems early if you’re talented and driven.
• 5 days off learning and development, annual stipends for learning and development, and funding for conferences and external collaborations.
• Freedom to pursue research bets without product pressure.
• Opportunities to publish and collaborate externally.

Life & Family

• Modern central London office or option to work in similar government offices across the UK.
• Hybrid working with flexibility for occasional remote work abroad and stipends for work‑from‑home equipment.
• At least 25 days’ annual leave, 8 public holidays, extra team‑wide breaks and 3 days off for volunteering.
• Generous paid parental leave (36 weeks of UK statutory leave shared between parents + 3 extra paid weeks + option for additional unpaid time).
• Employer pension: 28.97% of base salary.
• Discounts and benefits for cycling to work, donations and retail/gyms.

Salary

• Level 3: £65,000–£75,000 (Base £35,720 + Technical Allowance £29,280–£39,280)
• Level 4: £85,000–£95,000 (Base £42,495 + Technical Allowance £42,505–£52,505)
• Level 5: £105,000–£115,000 (Base £55,805 + Technical Allowance £49,195–£59,195)
• Level 6: £125,000–£135,000 (Base £68,770 + Technical Allowance £56,230–£66,230)
• Level 7: £145,000 (Base £68,770 + Technical Allowance £76,230)

Location

London (Whitehall), United Kingdom. Hybrid and occasional remote work abroad supported.

Employment Type

Full‑time.

Seniority Level

Entry level.

Job Function

Other.

Industries

Government Administration.

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