Biosecurity & AI Safety Investigator

About the Role

10a Labs is seeking Biology Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to support a short-term project at the intersection of biology, biosecurity, and AI safety.

In this role, you will review and label exchanges involving biological topics against established policies and guidelines. The work supports both automated monitoring systems and human review processes designed to identify potentially harmful biological content while preserving legitimate scientific and research use cases.

We're looking for people with enough technical depth in biology to recognize nuance—particularly when distinguishing legitimate scientific research from information that could present dual-use or misuse concerns.

What You'll Do

• Review and label biological and biotechnology-related content according to defined policies and guidelines.
• Evaluate technically complex or ambiguous biological exchanges and make consistent risk determinations.
• Distinguish legitimate scientific and research use cases from potentially harmful or dual-use applications.
• Apply subject-matter expertise across areas such as pathogen research, microbiology, molecular biology, cancer biology, synthetic biology, or related disciplines.
• Identify ambiguous or challenging cases and clearly document the reasoning behind decisions.
• Help improve the consistency and quality of biological safety review processes.

What We're Looking For

• Strong academic or professional background in biology, microbiology, virology, molecular biology, cancer biology, biotechnology, synthetic biology, or a related field.
• Ability to understand technical biological research, terminology, methods, and experimental concepts.
• Strong analytical judgment and attention to detail.
• Ability to consistently apply written policies to complex and ambiguous scientific scenarios.
• Interest or experience in biosecurity, biodefense, biosafety, biorisk, dual-use biotechnology, or biological threat assessment.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Ability to commit at least 25 hours per week for one month.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Background

We're open to a range of educational and professional backgrounds. A PhD is not required.

Particularly relevant experience may include:

• Government, national security, or biodefense work involving biological threats.
• Biosecurity, biosafety, biorisk, or dual-use research.
• Pathogen, infectious disease, microbiology, or virology research.
• Cancer biology, molecular biology, genomics, or related biomedical research.
• Academic or industry research involving emerging biotechnology.
• Master's-level scientific training combined with government, biodefense, or biosecurity experience.

What You’ll Gain

• Opportunity to apply deep biological knowledge to emerging challenges at the intersection of biotechnology, safety, and AI.
• Exposure to frontier AI capabilities and risks in biology. 
• Opportunity to meet and work with leading researchers. 

Contract Details

• Duration: 6 months, with possible extension
• Commitment: 20-40 hours per week
• Location: Remote – United States
• Employment Type: Short-term contract
• Compensation: $80–$120/hour, depending on experience