For hiring teams
We run scientific search for biotech companies in the US, UK, and Europe. That includes field mapping, sourcing, CV review, structured screening, and shortlist notes that explain why each candidate made it through.
Areas of expertise
We recruit across the scientific rolesthat power modern biotech.
Expertise map
Our recruitment
coverage.
Beyond the grid
These are the areas we know best. If your brief sits between categories, we know how to read it and where to search.
How it works
We don't search for candidates. We sequence them.
Most recruiters send you CVs and ask you to decide. We do the work first. You review 3–5 candidates, each with a brief. You make one call.
01Discovery
We already mapped your science before you call.
No intake form. Before we speak, we read your papers, patents, and preprints. We map your domain ourselves. When we talk, we skip the basics and go straight to the scientific gap you're trying to close.
3 Papers
2 Patents
1 Preprint
Mapped
02Field Mapping
We chart who's actually advancing your field.
We map the publication landscape in your exact subdomain. Who's advancing it, who's stalled, who has the scientific lineage your problem requires. Most recruiters search LinkedIn. We search the field.
Lab A
Lab B
Lab C
247
Researchers
03Signal Scoring
Every candidate scored by our proprietary model.
We assess every candidate using 50+ observable signals across six dimensions: domain, execution, autonomy, trajectory, collaboration, and stage fit.
Domain
94%
Indep.
91%
Effic.
100%
Traj.
88%
04Scientific Interview
We interview on the science. Not the CV.
Every candidate goes through a scientific interview. We ask the questions only a specialist would ask: where their curiosity lives, how deep they go, and how they think through failure.
“What mechanism are you most drawn to?”
“RNA secondary structure + SHAPE-MaP...”
Scientific depth verified
05The Brief & Close
You receive a brief. Not a stack of CVs.
3 to 5 candidates, each with a written brief: domain fit, execution profile, stage fit, and an honest recommendation. We stay in the process, keep the candidate warm, flag risks early, and make sure the close doesn’t break on logistics.
PDF
Candidate Brief
4 pages · Dr. A. Laurent
93.5% match
How it works
We don't search for candidates. We sequence them.
Most recruiters send you CVs and ask you to decide. We do the work first so by the time a name reaches you, the hard thinking is already done. You review 3 to 5 candidates. Each with a brief. You make one call.
01Discovery
We already mapped your science before you call.
No intake form. Before we speak, we read your papers, patents, and preprints. We map your domain ourselves. When we talk, we skip the basics and go straight to the scientific gap you're trying to close.
3 Papers
2 Patents
1 Preprint
Mapped
02Field Mapping
We chart who's actually advancing your field.
We map the publication landscape in your exact subdomain. Who's advancing it, who's stalled, who has the scientific lineage your problem requires. Most recruiters search LinkedIn. We search the field.
Lab A
Lab B
Lab C
247
Researchers
03Signal Scoring
Every candidate scored by our proprietary model.
We assess every candidate using 50+ observable signals across six dimensions: domain, execution, autonomy, trajectory, collaboration, and stage fit.
Domain
94%
Indep.
91%
Effic.
100%
Traj.
88%
04Scientific Interview
We interview on the science. Not the CV.
Every candidate goes through a scientific interview. We ask the questions only a specialist would ask: where their curiosity lives, how deep they go, and how they think through failure.
“What mechanism are you most drawn to?”
“RNA secondary structure + SHAPE-MaP...”
Scientific depth verified
05The Brief & Close
You receive a brief. Not a stack of CVs.
3 to 5 candidates, each with a written brief: domain fit, execution profile, stage fit, and an honest recommendation. We stay in the process, keep the candidate warm, flag risks early, and make sure the close doesn’t break on logistics.
PDF
Candidate Brief
4 pages · Dr. A. Laurent
93.5% match
Specialist Lens
The right scientist exists.We know where to look.
Generalists pattern-match tidy CVs. We read the science, the trajectory, and the obsession underneath it. That changes who survives the search.
Affinity Talent View
Dr. Sarah Chen
San Francisco, CA • sarah.chen@example.com • github.com/schen-bio
Experience
Independent Researcher
Jan 2023 - Present (11 mos)Self-directed research and development.
- Built proprietary metabolic pathway library.
- Secured independent funding and shipped v1.0.
11-month research sprint
Built her own pathway library. Solo, funded, shipped.
Metabolic Engineer
Ginkgo Bioworks • 2021 - 2023 (2 yrs)- Led strain engineering for novel bio-based materials.
- Optimized fermentation processes, increasing yield by 40%.
Ginkgo — left to go deeper, not escape
Chased a specific metabolic problem. Scientific conviction, not instability.
Education
Ph.D. in Bioengineering
MIT • 2014 - 2021 (7 yrs)- Authored 14 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals.
- Focus on synthetic biology and metabolic flux analysis.
14 papers — year 7
Publication velocity compounds — this is a force multiplier.
Outcome: Hired in 18 Days
Sent with a 4-page brief. Hired immediately.
General Recruiter View
Dr. Sarah Chen
San Francisco, CA • sarah.chen@example.com • github.com/schen-bio
Experience
Independent Researcher
Jan 2023 - Present (11 mos)Self-directed research and development.
- Built proprietary metabolic pathway library.
- Secured independent funding and shipped v1.0.
11-month employment gap
No context in CV. Looks like a red flag.
Metabolic Engineer
Ginkgo Bioworks • 2021 - 2023 (2 yrs)- Led strain engineering for novel bio-based materials.
- Optimized fermentation processes, increasing yield by 40%.
Ginkgo — left after 2 years
Short tenure at only industry role. Flight risk.
Education
Ph.D. in Bioengineering
MIT • 2014 - 2021 (7 yrs)- Authored 14 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals.
- Focus on synthetic biology and metabolic flux analysis.
14 papers — too academic
Publication-heavy background. Might not move at startup speed.
Outcome: Rejected
Didn't pass initial recruiter screen.
What we take off your plate
You focus on science.
We handle the search.
Sourcing, screening, scoring, interviewing — done before you see a single name. You get a shortlist of 3 to 5 scientists, each with a written brief. Your job is to make one decision, not run a search.
01 · The screening
Live screening in progress
0→0
We read every CV.
You see only the best.
02 · Your time
We save you 1.5 months.
By day 18, you already have a vetted shortlist with interview notes. Most searches are still sourcing.
KickoffWeek 6Week 12
Typical search
12 weeks
Day 18
Affinity Talent
Kickoff
Sourcing
Screening
Shortlist
Interviews
Offer
03 · Your commitment
A fraction of the cost.
Zero upfront.
No salary, no retainer. You pay only when you hire.
In-house recruiter (SF)
~$165k/yr
salary + benefits + ATS + paid ads
Salary + bonuses + benefits
ATS, LinkedIn and sourcing tools
Job ads and recruiting spend
You carry the cost whether you hire 1 person or 6
Affinity Talent
$0 to start
fee only on a successful hire
No recruiter payroll
No retainer
No cost until a hire is made
You only pay if we make the hire
Kickoff, search and shortlist happen before any fee is due
About Us
Boutique scientific search
We know the science, the startups, and the hiring.
We are specialists who have seen this industry from every side. We have worked in labs, operated in the venture and startup world, and sat in the interview chair ourselves as candidates. We are not generalist HR recruiters trying to fill technical roles from the outside. We understand the science, the pressure candidates are under, and the realities of building an early-stage company because we have lived much closer to that world ourselves.
Close to the science
Specialist edge
We are specialists in the field
This is not a broad recruitment practice with a biotech page added to it. We stay close to the field by keeping up with new papers, lab science, and the shifts shaping the market, so our understanding stays current. That helps us read real signal, understand complex roles, and find talent beyond obvious titles.
Retention effect
Humane hiring increases retention
We believe respectful, empathetic hiring is a competitive advantage. When candidates feel understood and treated seriously, the process becomes stronger, trust builds earlier, and retention improves because the match is made with care instead of pressure.
Founder's note
“We built Affinity on two beliefs: specialist knowledge wins better searches, and humane, empathetic hiring creates better retention. The way a candidate is treated during the process shapes whether they join, and whether they stay.”
Artem Degtiar
Founder, Affinity Talent.
Search Visibility
Biotech recruiting for computational biology, synbio, and AI for biology.
Affinity Talent is a boutique biotech recruiting firm working with early-stage and growth-stage biotech teams hiring scientists and technical operators across computational biology, synthetic biology, platform biology, AI drug discovery, functional genomics, and translational research.
We help biotech startups and scientific leaders who need a specialist biotech recruiter rather than a generalist agency. That usually means searches where the brief is technical, the candidate pool is small, and the cost of hiring the wrong person is much higher than the cost of waiting one extra week for the right shortlist.
What people hire us for
- Computational biologist, bioinformatics scientist, and scientific data roles.
- Synthetic biology, cell engineering, platform biology, and functional genomics hiring.
- Applied machine learning and AI-for-biology roles where scientific context matters.
- Early-stage searches that need fast calibration, clean screening, and a written shortlist brief.
For candidates
We also work with scientists exploring computational biology, synthetic biology, drug discovery, and platform science opportunities. Public roles live on our job board, and candidates can join the shortlist for searches that stay confidential.
Where we work best
The strongest fit is usually an early-stage or scaling biotech team that needs sharp scientific judgement in the hiring process, not just outbound sourcing. We are most useful when the brief is technical, the market is small, and each interview slot matters.
Start A Search
TheSynthetic Biologistwho definesyour platformis in a labright now.
One call. Thirty minutes. We map the scientific gap, tell you who you need, and you commit to nothing until the shortlist is real.
1
Call2
Shortlist3
HireNo upfront fee. Shortlist in 18 days. Written brief included.
30 minutes · No commitment · No upfront fee