Senior Data Scientist
About the job
Signatur Biosciences was established with the mission of making cutting-edge diagnostic tools accessible to more patients around the world. We have developed a technology to profile complex molecular signatures in a single reaction, using the qPCR machines already in place in every biomedical lab around the world. We are a spin-out of Imperial College London, backed by Y Combinator, with our head office in London and our laboratory in Liège, Belgium.
We are building towards being an AI-native company — using data and AI as a default part of how we work, not an afterthought — and this role is central to that ambition.
We’re worried about accessibility in precision diagnostics and are building a team of individuals who share our passion for solving this problem through close collaboration and a sense of urgency. We’re building a different kind of company, where employees think like owners, act with authority, and collaborate closely with one another.
Location: London, UK (hybrid), with regular travel to our laboratory in Liège, Belgium | Reporting into: Chief Scientific Officer | Salary: Competitive, based on experience, plus meaningful share options as a foundational early hire
About the role
We are looking for an exceptional Senior Data Scientist to join us in London. This is the first dedicated data science hire at Signatur, and you will shape how data is used across the company from the ground up.
The role sits at the centre of three things. First, the modelling that underpins our assays — applying machine learning and statistical methods to development data to help select signatures, optimise panels and predict performance. Second, the day-to-day data science: analysis across the business, from exploratory work through to clear recommendations, and the lightweight infrastructure that makes results reproducible. Third, our shift towards working AI-natively — building and championing the tooling that lets a small team move like a much larger one.
You will thrive here if you are comfortable with the pace and ambiguity of an early-stage company, move fast and take pragmatic shortcuts to validate or invalidate ideas quickly, and take real ownership — anticipating problems and finding creative ways around them rather than waiting for a brief.
Skills, Experience & Attributes
Essential Skills/Experience
Minimum MSc or MRes in a quantitative, life sciences or related field.
Strong foundation in statistics and quantitative methods, with demonstrable experience applying them to real, messy datasets.
Hands-on experience applying machine learning to scientific, experimental or otherwise complex real-world data — not only to clean benchmark problems.
Proficiency in Python and SQL for data analysis.
Fluency with modern AI tools and a real drive to apply them to streamline work.
A track record of independently owning data work and driving it to real impact, rather than executing tasks handed to you.
Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, high-ownership startup environment — taking pragmatic shortcuts and failing fast to learn quickly.
Self-motivated, ambitious and driven: anticipates problems and finds creative solutions — a new tool, a contractor, a CRO — to make things happen.
Right to work in the UK, or eligibility for UK visa sponsorship (available for this role).
Desirable Skills/Experience
PhD in a quantitative or life sciences field, particularly with a biological or experimental research angle.
Experience with large biological, genomic or high-dimensional experimental datasets.
Familiarity with diagnostic or assay data and performance metrics (sensitivity/specificity, ROC, limits of detection).
Proficiency in R.
Experience building internal tooling with LLMs or agentic workflows.
Previous experience in an early-stage startup.
Experience in a regulated environment (IVDR / ISO 13485).
Main Responsibilities
Apply machine learning and statistical modelling to assay development data — signature selection, panel optimisation and performance prediction — working closely with the scientific team in Liège.
Lead end-to-end data analysis across the business, from exploratory analysis through to clear, actionable recommendations.
Help every team define and quantify what success looks like, build precise, measurable plans to reach it, and track progress closely, adjusting fast as things change.
Build lightweight, reproducible analysis pipelines and the shared data foundations the laboratory and development teams need to work from one source of truth.
Champion a data-driven culture and build the AI tooling that accelerates our own work — finding where AI genuinely removes effort, and making it usable by the rest of the team.
Communicate findings clearly to non-technical stakeholders, including leadership.
Key Competencies
Judgement under uncertainty — knows which analysis is worth doing and which is not, and says so.
Precision in writing and reasoning; explains a method plainly to someone who does not share the background.
Bias to action and to finishing — ships useful things rather than perfect ones.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration — comfortable working with scientists, engineers and operators.
Compensation and benefits at Signatur Biosciences include:
Competitive salary, based on experience.
Meaningful equity / share options, as a foundational early hire.
Company pension.
UK visa sponsorship available.
Full details of our UK benefits package are shared during the recruitment process. As we continue to grow, our benefits package may evolve. The benefits outlined above are accurate as of the job posting date, but may differ at time of hire.
Further information
Signatur Biosciences is an equal-opportunity employer promoting diversity and inclusion in the workspace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), genetic information, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law.