PhD vacatures

Proteins are the molecular machines of life, used for many therapeutic, diagnostic, chemical, agricultural and food applications. Designing and optimizing proteins takes a lot of expert knowledge and manual effort, through the use of custom computational and biological tools.

Machine learning is revolutionizing this space, by enabling high-fidelity protein models. At Cradle, we offer a software platform for AI-guided discovery and optimization of proteins, so that biologists can design proteins faster and at scale. We are already used by clients across biopharma, biotech, agri-tech, food-tech, and academia.

We're an experienced team of around 75 people. We've built many successful products before and have enough funding for multiple years of runway. We are distributed across two main locations, Zurich and Amsterdam, and are focused on building the best possible team culture.

We offer our employees a very competitive salary, a generous equity stake in the company and a wide range of benefits and career progression opportunities.

Cradle is on a mission to create better medicines and more sustainable materials using the latest advances in AI and biology. We are looking for a Senior Editor to build and lead our editorial engine, transforming complex topics in machine learning and protein engineering into compelling storylines that captivate our audiences and help educate people about our work..

In this role, you will act as the "Editor-in-Chief" for Cradle. You will bridge the gap between our world-class research teams (ML and Biology) and the global scientific community. You are not just a writer; you are a strategic orchestrator who sources the most important stories from our labs and directs a "stable" of elite creators—writers, designers, and video producers—to bring those stories to life across multiple formats.

Editorial Strategy & Sourcing

• Act as an internal journalist, regularly interviewing our ML researchers and biologists to identify the "intellectual gold" in their work. You will define the "beats" Cradle covers, from protein engineering innovation to ML-ready lab transformation.

• Own and maintain the master editorial calendar, ensuring a steady pulse of high-impact content that aligns with company milestones, research and product releases, and industry events.

• Lead the conceptualization of content across mediums and channels.

Orchestration & Production

• Build and manage a "bench" of elite freelance science writers, technical illustrators, video producers, and specialized editors.

• Serve as the final gatekeeper for editorial excellence. You will ensure every piece of content meets the highest standards of scientific accuracy, narrative clarity, and brand voice.

• Develop and optimize the systems (e.g., project management, CMS, internal workflows) that allow the editorial team to scale, moving projects seamlessly from a raw scientific idea to a polished global release.

Growth & Influence

• Partner with the Growth and PR teams to maximize the reach of our stories, ensuring they resonate with PhD scientists, industry executives, and specialists.

• Track the impact of our editorial work, using data-driven insights to refine our narrative strategy and identify which topics are moving the needle for our audience.

• 7+ years of science writing or science journalism experience
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in life sciences, computer science, or a related field.
• Exceptional writing and interviewing skills. You can extract a compelling story from a 30-minute conversation with a scientist.
• Experience writing for multiple audiences and formats, from technical deep-dives to accessible explainers.
• Understanding of multi-channel content distribution, not just writing for search engines.
• Portfolio of published work demonstrating ability to make complex science engaging and accessible.
• Ability to work independently and ship content on deadline.

• Experience in biotech, pharma, or scientific software companies.
• Background in science journalism for major publications or industry media.
• Familiarity with protein engineering, synthetic biology, or computational biology.
• Experience with content management systems, basic design tools (Figma/Canva), and analytics platforms.

Cradle evaluates all candidates based on merit, regardless of sex, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background, or any other aspect of identity. We maintain zero tolerance for discrimination and actively encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

Please be aware that scammers are posing as us in order to get your personal details or money. We only communicate via @cradle.bio email addresses, we only make job offers after having met you in person at our office in Zurich or Amsterdam, and we never ask you to pay for anything during the interview process.