Head of Biodefense

Radical Numerics is an AI research lab building general biological intelligence. Our mission is to master the code of life, and our purpose is to reduce human suffering.

Our team created Evo, and started the field of generative genomics. Our work was featured on the cover of Science, and presented by our CEO on the main stage of TED2025. Evo was used to create the first AI gene therapy tool CRISPR-Cas9, and the first AI whole genome from scratch. Evo 2, featured in Nature, is the largest fully open source AI project across any domain.

Radical Numerics is bringing the rigor of distributed systems, model architecture, and numerics research to the challenges of biology. We’ve redesigned the foundation model training stack to turn the world’s raw scientific data (e.g. biological sequences, experiments, and physical processes), into intelligible, generative models that can expand and accelerate what humanity can understand, design, and cure.

The same generative breakthroughs that enable life-saving cures also lowers the barrier to creating engineered threats and AI-generated bioweapons. We believe these forces are inseparable. Radical Numerics was founded to develop both the power to design and the responsibility to defend.

As Head of Biosecurity, you will help define and build Radical Numerics’ biosecurity efforts from the ground up. You will work across strategy, product, and partnerships to turn frontier biological AI capabilities into real-world systems for detection, surveillance, and response.

This is a high-ownership role with significant growth potential. You will work directly with leadership to shape the direction of our biosecurity platform, engage with government and global stakeholders, and help build the team and ecosystem around this work.

This role is ideal for someone who combines strong technical or domain intuition with the ability to operate in ambiguous, high-stakes environments, and who is excited to grow into a senior leadership position over time.

• Help define Radical Numerics’ approach to biosecurity across detection, surveillance, and countermeasures.

• Develop clear views on how capabilities from models like Omnii translate into real-world risks and how to mitigate them.

• Contribute to the company’s positioning in global biosecurity and AI safety conversations.

• Work with research and engineering teams to define requirements for biosecurity systems (e.g., pathogen detection, sequence risk scoring, biosurveillance platforms like Omnii).

• Translate technical capabilities into practical tools used by labs, governments, and institutions.

• Ensure systems are aligned with real-world workflows and user needs.

• Engage with government agencies, national labs, and global health organizations.

• Help initiate and support collaborations, pilots, and deployments.

• Act as a key interface between Radical Numerics and the broader biosecurity ecosystem.

• Help communicate capabilities, risks, and safeguards of biological AI systems.

• Participate in conversations around biosecurity, AI governance, and global health.

• Build credibility and trust with external stakeholders.

• Support hiring efforts across biosecurity, ML, and related roles.

• Help identify and engage high-level advisors in biodefense, policy, and science.

• Contribute to shaping how the biosecurity team evolves as the company grows.

• Identify opportunities quickly and drive them forward, from early conversations to deployed systems.

• Operate with high agency in a fast-moving, evolving space.

• Strong interest or background in biosecurity, biodefense, global health, or adjacent fields.

• Ability to reason clearly about biological risk, even in areas where frameworks are still emerging.

• Experience or exposure to AI, computational biology, or biological data systems.

• Strong communication skills and ability to engage with external stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability to take ownership and drive projects independently.

• Comfort operating in ambiguity and learning quickly.

• Existing network across biosecurity, government, or global health communities.

• Experience with pathogen genomics, biosurveillance, or related areas.

• Exposure to AI safety, model evaluations, or dual-use risk frameworks.

• Familiarity with biological foundation models or computational biology tools.

• Help define how the world detects and defends against biological threats in the age of AI.

• Work on frontier systems like Omnii that push the boundaries of what’s possible in biology.

• Build new categories of biosecurity infrastructure from first principles.

• Join early and grow into a leadership role shaping a mission-critical domain.

Radical Numerics is committed to equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate in any employment opportunities or practices based on an individual's race, color, creed, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), religion (all aspects of religious beliefs, observance or practice, including religious dress or grooming practices), marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under California Vehicle Code section 12801.9), natural hair, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, medical condition (including cancer or a record or history of cancer, and genetic characteristics), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic information, sexual orientation, military and veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. It also prohibits unlawful discrimination based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.
Radical Numerics participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.