We recruit across sixscientific disciplines.
Hover or tap a domain to see the roles we place and what makes each hire different.
Our recruitment
coverage.
These are our strongest areas. If your brief reaches beyond them, we know how to find the right person anyway.
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.
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.
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.
Every candidate scored by our proprietary model.
Each candidate is evaluated across five signals: domain depth, publication velocity, independence index, resource efficiency, and stage fit. Not a keyword match. A weighted score built against your specific problem. The shortlist isn't just qualified. It's calibrated.
We interview on the science. Not the CV.
Every candidate goes through a scientific interview before you meet them. We ask what a generalist never would: about mechanism, failure, obsession, conviction. What problem keeps them up at night. What their last role didn't let them go deep enough on. You only meet scientists who've already passed this.
You receive a brief. Not a stack of CVs.
3 to 5 candidates. Each with a written brief: domain rationale, signal scores, culture notes, and an honest recommendation. We tell you what we think. Then we stay in the process. We keep the candidate warm, flag anything that could lose them, and make sure the close doesn't fall apart on logistics.
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.
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.
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.
Every candidate scored by our proprietary model.
Each candidate is evaluated across five signals: domain depth, publication velocity, independence index, resource efficiency, and stage fit. Not a keyword match. A weighted score built against your specific problem. The shortlist isn't just qualified. It's calibrated.
We interview on the science. Not the CV.
Every candidate goes through a scientific interview before you meet them. We ask what a generalist never would: about mechanism, failure, obsession, conviction. What problem keeps them up at night. What their last role didn't let them go deep enough on. You only meet scientists who've already passed this.
You receive a brief. Not a stack of CVs.
3 to 5 candidates. Each with a written brief: domain rationale, signal scores, culture notes, and an honest recommendation. We tell you what we think. Then we stay in the process. We keep the candidate warm, flag anything that could lose them, and make sure the close doesn't fall apart on logistics.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We read every CV.
You see only the best.
We give you back 3 months.
Every task in this timeline runs without you.
A fraction of the cost.
Zero upfront.
No salary, no retainer. You pay only when you hire.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
Founder, Affinity Talent.
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.
30 minutes · No commitment · No upfront fee