frontier research deep techaging biomarkersbiotech roadmappinggerosciencesenolytics
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Theoretical command
35% weight
Check command of the hallmarks of aging framework, epigenetic clocks (Horvath, GrimAge, DunedinPACE), Gompertz mortality modelling, and where senolytic or partial reprogramming evidence actually stands.
Evidence to listen for
Explains the underlying theory at the level the role demands, and can go a layer deeper when pushed
Knows which results are established and which are contested
Distinguishes their own contribution from the field's
Comfortable saying where the theory runs out
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Recites terminology without understanding; cannot go one layer deeper.
2
Needs Improvement
Surface familiarity; conflates established results with speculation.
3
Satisfactory
Solid grasp of the core theory; thin at the frontier.
4
Very Good
Strong command; separates settled results from open questions.
5
Excellent
Cites specific intervention classes and clock validation limits, distinguishes lifespan from healthspan data, and names where the mouse-to-human gap breaks.
02
Evaluation factor
From theory to hardware or code
30% weight
Probe translation work: intervention roadmaps, ITP or Dog Aging Project data they modelled, trial design input, portfolio theses, or forecasting code they built in Python or R.
Evidence to listen for
Has built, simulated, or run something real, not only published about it
Knows the gap between the idealised model and the actual apparatus or system
Names the practical constraint that dominates in real conditions
Can describe a result that did not match prediction
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Purely theoretical; no contact with implementation.
2
Needs Improvement
Some exposure but unaware of practical constraints.
3
Satisfactory
Has implemented work; understands the main real-world limits.
4
Very Good
Strong practical record; articulate about theory-versus-reality gaps.
5
Excellent
Shows a concrete artefact, for example a modelled LEV timeline, a biotech landscape map, or a funding thesis that shaped real allocation decisions.
03
Evaluation factor
Research judgement
20% weight
Assess how they weigh hype against evidence: dismissing or backing rapamycin, plasma dilution, yamanaka factor reprogramming, and how they decide which bets deserve capital or attention.
Evidence to listen for
Chooses problems by tractability and value, not novelty alone
Knows when to abandon a line of work
Reads and evaluates others' results critically
Can say what would falsify their own approach
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Chases novelty; no sense of tractability or when to stop.
2
Needs Improvement
Weak problem selection; persists past the point of value.
3
Satisfactory
Reasonable judgement within a defined programme.
4
Very Good
Selects problems well and knows when to abandon a line.
5
Excellent
Names claims they revised after new data, separates mechanism plausibility from clinical evidence, and states falsifiable conditions for their own forecasts.
04
Evaluation factor
Explaining it to non-specialists
15% weight
Test how they brief funders, regulators, or press without overselling immortality: explaining actuarial escape velocity, biomarker surrogacy, or FDA aging-indication hurdles to non-biologists.
Evidence to listen for
Explains the work to an engineer, an executive, or a funder without either mystifying or dumbing it down
Writes clearly
Collaborates across disciplines
Makes the case for resources in terms the audience cares about
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot communicate outside their specialism.
2
Needs Improvement
Explanation is either impenetrable or hollow.
3
Satisfactory
Adequate with technical peers; less effective with lay audiences.
4
Very Good
Explains clearly to specialists and non-specialists alike.
5
Excellent
Translates escape velocity maths into plain scenarios with explicit uncertainty, and resists the sensational framing journalists and investors push for.
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