Founding Scientist

Gaialink AI
is an early-stage, Canadian-led deeptech startup building the world's first
planetary-scale operating system — Earth OS
.

Our mission is bold and urgent: to accelerate Canada's transition toward a
Net-Zero, Climate-Resilient future
through the fusion of
Artificial Intelligence, Green Infrastructure, and Bio-Inspired Intelligence
.

We are pioneering a "
Human-First AI
" approach — where human creativity, scientific precision, and machine foresight merge to rebuild the relationship between civilization and the planet.

From
wildfire prediction and ecological restoration
to
sustainable infrastructure and living materials
, we are engineering systems that make the Earth more intelligent, resilient, and alive.

Our multidisciplinary core team —
12+ senior PhD data scientists and AI engineers
— operates as a single cognitive entity to develop Made-in-Canada innovations that can scale globally.

Role Description
This role defines one of the core pillars of the
Gaialink Earth OS
: the
Living Infrastructure Platform (LIP)
our answer to the world's multi-billion dollar infrastructure deficit and carbon-intensive construction model.

We are seeking a
Founding Scientist & Head of R&D
with a
proven, near-market-ready technology
in
self-healing or bio-based construction materials
— ideally inspired by
fungal mycelium, biomineralization, or living composites
.

The Challenge
Concrete production is responsible for nearly
8% of global CO₂ emissions
, while aging infrastructure continues to fail faster than we can repair it. The world urgently needs materials that
heal, adapt, and endure
.

The Vision
You will lead the integration of your
living concrete
or
bio-composite technology
into the
Gaialink Earth OS
, fusing it with our
AI-driven bio-sensing and digital twin systems
. Together, we will create the world's first
intelligent and self-regenerating infrastructure
— bridges, dams, and buildings that sense, respond, and evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the
  integration and rapid scaling
  of your proprietary bio-material technology within the
  Gaialink AI Earth OS
  ecosystem.
• Build and lead a
  cross-disciplinary R&D team
  focused on prototyping, testing, and industrial deployment.
• Develop and protect the
  core Intellectual Property (IP)
  pipeline for the
  Living Infrastructure Platform
  .
• Collaborate daily with our
  Human–AI research team
  (12+ PhDs) to build the
  digital twin
  and
  bio-sensing interface
  for your material.
• Quantify and model the
  carbon-negative impact
  ,
  durability gains
  , and
  economic ROI
  to create a strong case for
  government and private adoption
  .
• Work directly with the
  CEO and investors
  to present the technology roadmap to Canadian innovation agencies, infrastructure partners, and early customers.

This is a
6-month milestone-driven contrac
t, focused on achieving
three core commercialization and funding outcome
s that will unlock our seed round and your salary phase.

Qualifications

• Ph
  D in
  Materials Science, Microbiology, Mycology, Bioengineerin
  g, or a closely related field
• .A
  proven research or patent portfoli
  o in
  self-healing concrete, bio-mineralization, or living material
  s (TRL 6+ preferred)
• .Demonstrated ability to move research from
  lab to fiel
  d — with a strong record of prototyping or pilot deployment
• .Deep understanding of how
  materials science can drive climate resilienc
  e and
  carbon-negative desig
  n
• .Entrepreneurial mindset — a scientist who wants to build, lead, and own the outcome
• .Must be legally authorized to work in the
  United Kingdom, Canada, or the United State
  s

.
Compensation & Founding Partnership
As an early-stage company, we are in the final stages of ou
r seed fundi
ng. This is not an employee role — it's
a founder-level partnersh
ip.

You will receive
a significant equity sta
ke as a co-founding scientist and future Head of R&D.

A full competitive sala
ry will activate upon the close of our imminent funding round — a milestone your technology will directly enable.

We offe
r total transparen
cy in all discussions about ownership, milestones, and compensation.

Important Application Instruction
To confirm that you've read this role description carefully, start the filename of your resume with th
e sum of the three highlighted digi
ts within this post (12, 6, and 3), followed by the lette
r "
L" (for Living).

Example:

Applications that do not follow this instruction wil
l n
ot be considered.

How to Apply
Send your resume (with the correct filename), you
r research or patent portfol
io, and
a brief cover lett
er outlining you
r vision for this technology and its global potenti
al to:

io