Founding Research Scientist

About the job

• Toronto, ON (full time, on-site with potential travel to partner sites in the future)
• 2 openings (existing vacancies)
• $120,000-$170,000 CAD + equity + benefits + relocation support
• Start date: As soon as possible, with flexibility for the right candidate

About SCRY Bio

SCRY Bio is building inexpensive DNA computers that bring sophisticated testing and computation anywhere. We program DNA to execute logic, which lets our DNA computers perform non-linear decision-making directly on biomolecules. Our goal is to democratize complex testing of biomolecules by making it as cheap and accessible as an at-home rapid test.

We’re a small, scrappy team that just closed an oversubscribed round. We just opened our new lab and we’re expanding fast, so we need people who want to grow with it. There is no established playbook, and no layer of management between you and the people who started the company. That is the point. You’ll be one of our first scientific hires, with real ownership over the technology and the company we’re building.

About the role

You’ll work at the bench alongside our CTO, the field-leading inventor of the rewireable DNA computing architecture the company is built on. Together you will help expand SCRY Bio’s lab, build its scientific foundation from the ground up, and own one of the two defining problems of this stage: taking DNA computers from design through testing in complex sample matrices, and tethering them to a paper-based substrate.

These roles combine hands-on bench science with real scientific leadership. Alongside a full experimental schedule, you’ll set the research direction with the founders, make independent calls on what to test and what to drop, and represent SCRY Bio’s science to clinical partners, collaborators, and investors. As our team grows, the people we bring on will report into the workstreams you’ve built. Both roles come with a salary set to compete for top scientific talent, founding-team equity, and the chance to shape the company’s science and culture from day one.

Who this is for 

We'll be honest about what we're looking for, because it will save everyone time.

This is a challenging role that expects ownership and the ability to navigate ambiguity. We’re looking for two people who care more about whether the thing works than about whose job it was to make it work. People who want to own a problem end-to-end and get restless when they feel like they’re a small part of a big machine. If you've ever looked at how a lab or a company was run and thought "I could build this better," this is your chance to prove it.

In practice that means the work is yours, the outcomes are yours, and the schedule bends around what the science needs rather than the other way around. You will help scale the lab, from sourcing equipment and reagents to establishing new SOPs. You’ll wear many hats, some of which won’t exist yet when you start. And, as we hire behind you, you’ll grow into leading the people who join, setting a direction for your team rather than inheriting one.

What you’ll do

• Turn trained ML models into DNA computers. Break models into buildable modules, design modular computer components, and use our thermodynamics engine to design DNA sequences
• Assemble DNA computers and validate their performance. Assemble and QC each build with gel purification and electrophoresis, test computer components with synthetic inputs measuring titration, kinetics, and leak, and optimize for reproducibility in both enzymatic and enzyme-free designs
• Track DNA computer performance and failure. Develop assays with QC gates that show whether a DNA computer works, and where it breaks when it doesn’t
• Expand and automate the lab. Source equipment and consumables, set up and maintain the space, write the SOPs, and design and build workflows on liquid handlers to increase throughput and reproducibility
• Test DNA computers in real sample matrices. Stress-test analyte detection and DNA computer performance in real sample matrices, figure out sources of interference, and design solutions to overcome them
• Move DNA computers from tubes to paper-based substrates. Immobilize DNA computers on paper-based substrates, find what parts of this process hurt performance, and develop fixes that keep DNA computers functional and reliable
• Make the science reproducible and visible. Keep rigorous records and data packages, and share findings clearly with the team, partners, and investors
• Grow into leadership. Take ownership of a workstream and lead the people on it as the team expands

What you bring

We believe that the best researchers can learn the domain quickly. A demonstrated enthusiasm for building and ownership over your work matters more than your title or degrees. Read the list below as a guideline, not a gate you have to clear.

• A track record of building things that work: first author publications, software or hardware projects that you’ve shipped, or a profitable side hustle
• Strong bench skills with rigorous experimental design in molecular biology or a related field 
• Strong nucleic acid fundamentals: Theoretical and practical familiarity with DNA structure and thermodynamics, DNA computing concepts (e.g., toehold-mediated strand displacement), enzymatic and non-enzymatic amplification strategies, and an intuition for how and why a given construct will behave
• A high level of attention to detail and critical thinking reflected through meticulous documentation, data and failure analysis, and redesign
• A demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and comprehensively both in person and in writing
• The initiative to find the next problem and start on it without waiting to be asked
• An appetite for the founding-team reality: you own the whole pipeline, including the unglamorous debugging, the shifting priorities, and the fact that there’s no established protocol for most of what we do

Strong candidates may also have

• A PhD or equivalent level hands-on experience in molecular biology, biomedical engineering, bioengineering, chemistry, synthetic biology or a related field
• Experience with liquid handlers, scripts, and workflow design to automate the lab
• Experience working with blood: whole blood, plasma or serum handling, sample preparation, and matrix effects
• Experience developing lateral flow assays or microfluidic tests
• Experience developing and testing aptamers
• Familiarity with machine learning for biological data

What we value

We want someone who reasons from first principles when the literature runs out, is rigorous about how data is interpreted, writes and explains clearly, and is pleasant to work beside. We’re looking for someone who moves fast, is intentional with their decision-making, and isn’t afraid to fail if it means making progress faster.

Our process (exceptional candidates will have an expedited process)

1. Resume screening 
2. Scientific and personal traits questions 
3. Culture fit call with CEO or CSO
4. Take-home assignment
5. Technical interview with CTO
6. Reference check
7. Full day, in-person evaluation
8. Offer

We use artificial intelligence tools to help screen and assess applications for this position. Applicants must be authorized to work in Canada. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

A note for US applicants

We aren’t able to sponsor visas for these roles. If you’re a US citizen with a bachelor’s degree or higher in a field closely related to the work, such as molecular biology, biochemistry, or chemistry, you may qualify for a Canadian work permit under the CUSMA Professionals category. For candidates who qualify, we’ll provide the job offer and paperwork the process requires and support you through it.