Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Computational Biologist - Translational and Clinical Biomarkers

at Recursion

🏢 About Recursion

Recursion is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that combines automated experimental biology with advanced computational techniques to decode biology and industrialize drug discovery. Their unique approach leverages high-dimensional data from their proprietary phenomics platform to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Working here means contributing to a data-driven revolution in drug discovery at scale.

About This Role

This Senior Computational Biologist role focuses on identifying and validating biomarkers for translational studies and clinical trials, particularly in oncology. You'll analyze high-dimensional datasets (phenomics, transcriptomics, patient data) to deliver biological insights that inform patient stratification and indication selection. Your work directly impacts clinical trial design and therapeutic development decisions.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day involves analyzing high-dimensional datasets (phenomics, transcriptomics, patient data) to identify biomarker patterns, developing computational pipelines to scale these analyses, and collaborating with translational scientists to design biomarker strategies for clinical trials. You might spend the morning running statistical analyses on patient stratification approaches, the afternoon in meetings discussing therapeutic hypotheses with cross-functional teams, and the evening documenting industrialized analysis methods for future projects.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Recursion Is Looking For

  • PhD in computational biology/systems biology with 3+ years biotech/pharma experience analyzing clinical trial biomarker data in oncology
  • Demonstrated experience with patient genetics analysis and understanding druggable disease pathways in cancer biology
  • Proven track record applying probabilistic, statistical, or machine learning methods to complex biological data using Python/R
  • Experience industrializing analysis pipelines to scale insights across multiple projects or therapeutic areas

📝 Tips for Applying to Recursion

1

Highlight specific experience with oncology clinical trial biomarker data - mention specific datasets (TCGA, etc.) or trial types you've worked with

2

Showcase projects where you've translated computational findings into biological insights that impacted translational or clinical decisions

3

Demonstrate your ability to industrialize analyses - describe frameworks or pipelines you've built to accelerate future projects

4

Reference Recursion's phenomics platform specifically and how your skills complement their data generation capabilities

5

Quantify your impact - how many biomarkers have you identified/validated, what was the clinical or translational outcome of your work?

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your experience with oncology clinical trial biomarker data and how it prepared you for this translational role', "Specific examples of computational methods you've applied to derive biological insights from complex datasets", "How you've scaled analysis approaches to benefit multiple projects or teams", "Why Recursion's data-driven, industrialized approach to drug discovery aligns with your career goals"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Recursion's pipeline and therapeutic areas - particularly their oncology programs and clinical trial stage assets
  • → Their phenomics platform and published research using this technology
  • → Their leadership team's background and recent publications/presentations about their computational biology approach
  • → Their company culture and how they describe their 'industrialized' approach to drug discovery

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk through your process for identifying candidate biomarkers from high-dimensional data and validating them for clinical use
2 How would you approach patient stratification using Recursion's phenomics data combined with clinical trial data?
3 Describe a time you industrialized an analysis pipeline - what challenges did you face and how did you measure success?
4 How do you stay current with computational methods while ensuring biological relevance in your analyses?
5 What experience do you have with indication selection/expansion based on biomarker data?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on academic research without demonstrating translation to biotech/pharma applications
  • Being vague about specific computational methods used or biological insights derived from analyses
  • Not showing understanding of clinical trial biomarker requirements or regulatory considerations

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Recursion!

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