How to Apply

Send your CV, a brief cover letter, and any relevant publications or thesis excerpts to [email protected].

Subject line: Application for Research Scientist – [Your Name]

We review applications on a rolling basis and will reach out to shortlisted candidates for an initial virtual interview followed by a technical discussion. Astraphage Innovations is an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive scientific team.

About Astraphage Innovations

Astraphage Innovations is an early-stage biotechnology startup at iDeaNA-CDFD Technology Incubator Hyderabad. We are dedicated to the discovery, isolation, and applied development of bacteriophages for therapeutic and diagnostic use across India's One Health sectors. Our current work applies a unifying lens to phage-based biocontrol spanning human, animal, and environmental systems and targeting priority AMR pathogens that threaten health, food safety, and livelihoods across sectors.

We're building our founding scientific team from the ground up, and we're looking for self-driven researchers who want their work to have real, tangible impact on industry.

About the Role

As our founding Research Scientist, you'll be the scientific backbone of Astraphage's phage research program. You'll independently lead the isolation, characterization, and development of bacteriophage candidates across diverse human and animal health settings, while helping build and manage a fully functional research lab. This is a rare opportunity to shape the scientific direction of a startup at its earliest and most exciting stage: this is your program to build.

What You'll Do

- Field Sampling & Phage Isolation: Design and run field sampling across relevant clinical and agricultural settings to isolate novel bacteriophages against priority AMR pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus,



Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Psuedomonas aeruginosa etc.
- Phage Characterization & Genomics: Perform plaque assays, host-range determination, one-step growth curves, and coordinate TEM imaging. Lead phage genome extraction, sequencing, bioinformatic annotation, and phylogenetic classification.
- Efficacy & Stability Testing: Assess phage stability under relevant processing and environmental conditions (temperature, pH, UV, disinfectants) and lead efficacy testing in vitro/ in vivo and in relevant clinical/ food/ environmental matrices.
- Laboratory Setup & Infrastructure: Own equipment and consumable procurement, establish BSL-2 safety protocols, and develop our master SOP library from scratch.
- Scientific Dissemination & IP Development: Contribute to research publications, conference presentations, and patent filings; stay current on emerging phage biology literature.
- Team Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor the scientific team and guide current/future junior team members.

What You'll Bring

- Ph.D. in Microbiology, Virology, Applied Biotechnology, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience isolating, titrating, propagating, and characterizing bacteriophages.
- Prior experience with priority AMR pathogens relevant to human and veterinary health (e.g., E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Psuedomonas aeruginosa ).




- Proficiency in core microbiology and molecular biology techniques: culture, cloning, PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA/RNA extraction, and NGS library prep basics.
- Strong scientific writing and data analysis skills, with the ability to work independently across multiple ongoing experiments.

Nice to Have

- Postdoctoral research experience is not mandatory, but would be helpful, particularly if you have mentored PhD students or research assistants during your research career.
- Experience establishing or managing a microbiology/virology laboratory from the ground up.
- Familiarity with phage genome annotation and bioinformatics tools (Pharokka, PHASTER, etc.).
- Experience with biofilm assays, antimicrobial resistance characterization, or HACCP frameworks.
- Industry collaborations or publications in applied phage research.

What We Offer

- Competitive compensation of ₹10,00,000 – ₹14,00,000 CTC per annum, plus annual performance bonus.
- Comprehensive health insurance coverage for you and your family.
- Publication and conference travel support, with first-author opportunities and active support for research dissemination.
- Equity stake discussion for candidates demonstrating exceptional commitment and contribution.
- A direct pathway to senior scientific leadership as Astraphage grows, this role is intended to evolve into a Principal Scientist or Director of Research Operations position.
- Significant autonomy in experimental design and research direction: this is your program to build, think of yourself as a PI starting their recent lab.
- Direct engagement with our clinical and industry partners, stakeholders, and international scientific advisory committee from day one.
- A flat, collaborative team where your contributions directly shape the company's future.

📌 Research Scientist (Hyderabad)
🏢 Astraphage Innovations Private
📍 Hyderabad