How to apply for Founder in Residence, Unlocking systemic drug delivery for brain & CNS disease

About Deep Science Ventures

Deep Science Ventures builds new science companies from scratch. The stated focus is Earth's future, restoring ecosystems and reversing global heating. This particular venture sits in CNS drug delivery, so you would be building a company inside a venture creation firm, not joining an existing biotech.

About the role

You would lead the formation of a new company that aims to make it easier, safer, and more broadly applicable to deliver therapeutics into the brain. The work targets the blood-brain barrier, which excludes most small molecules and nearly all large-format biologics from the brain. The role is remote until incorporation and spin-out, around the end of 2027, with location to be determined.

A typical day

A typical day would involve reviewing scientific literature on blood-brain barrier crossing, designing experiments or validation plans for a specific delivery approach, and working on the case for a new company. You would also spend time on venture formation tasks such as defining the company's first therapeutic focus, planning the path to incorporation, and preparing for spin-out around the end of 2027. Because the role is remote and pre-incorporation, much of the work is self-directed and focused on building the scientific and commercial case for the venture.

Who Deep Science Ventures is looking for

• A scientist with deep technical expertise in CNS drug delivery, blood-brain barrier biology, or a closely related field such as biologics engineering or neurotherapeutics.
• Someone with an entrepreneurial mindset who wants to build a company rather than only publish or work in an established lab.
• A person who can identify a specific delivery approach and defend why it can work where fewer than 2% of small molecules and almost no large biologics cross the BBB in meaningful quantities.
• A candidate who understands the high failure rate in CNS drug development and can speak to why delivery, not target selection, is the central bottleneck.

Tips for this application

• State your specific technical angle on crossing the blood-brain barrier. Do not just say you are interested in CNS; name the modality or mechanism you would pursue.
• Show that you understand the difference between small molecules and large-format biologics at the BBB. The job description calls out that almost no antibodies, proteins, or nucleic acids reach the brain parenchyma without specialised delivery.
• Explain why you want to build a venture through Deep Science Ventures rather than start a company alone or join an existing biotech. The role is venture building, not a standard postdoc or scientist position.
• Address the remote and pre-incorporation structure directly. Say how you would operate before spin-out and what you would need to decide about location.
• Reference the spin-out timeline of around end of 2027. Show that you are planning for a multi-year company formation process, not a short project.

What to cover in your cover letter

Focus on your specific technical expertise in CNS drug delivery or blood-brain barrier crossing. Explain why the BBB is the bottleneck you want to solve, not just one problem among many. Describe what kind of company you would build and what first delivery approach you would test. State why Deep Science Ventures is the right place to form that company, given its venture creation model and Earth's future focus.

Research before applying

• Read how Deep Science Ventures creates companies. Understand the venture creation model, not just the Earth's future statement.
• Check whether Deep Science Ventures has previously built companies in therapeutics, drug delivery, or neuroscience. Look for any public information on their venture creation process.
• Research the current state of blood-brain barrier delivery for both small molecules and large-format biologics. Know the main approaches that have been tried and where they have failed.
• Find out what happens at spin-out: what incorporation means, who owns the company, and what support continues after the end of 2027. Ask if this is not public.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Which delivery modality or mechanism you would pursue first for crossing the blood-brain barrier, and why.
• How you would evaluate whether a delivery approach can work in humans, given that fewer than 2% of small molecules cross the BBB in meaningful quantities.
• What makes CNS drug development fail so often, and how your company would address the delivery part of that failure rate.
• How you would operate as a founder in residence before incorporation and spin-out around the end of 2027.
• Why you want to build a company through Deep Science Ventures rather than in an academic lab or an existing pharmaceutical company.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying as a pure academic scientist with no interest in company formation. This role is explicitly for entrepreneurially-minded scientists who want to build a venture.
• Treating CNS drug delivery as a general interest. The job description is specific about the BBB excluding most therapeutics, so vague statements about helping brain disease patients miss the point.
• Ignoring the remote and pre-incorporation nature of the role. Candidates who assume a standard lab position with a fixed team and location are not addressing what this job actually is.