Nicholas Larus-Stone

Software for science.

I’m Head of AI at Benchling, where I build AI agents for scientific R&D.

About

I’m Nicholas Larus-Stone, Head of AI at Benchling, where I lead the development of AI agents for scientific R&D. My work sits at the intersection of software, AI, and biology, with a focus on helping scientists analyze data, design experiments, and make better decisions.

Before Benchling, I founded Sphinx Bio, a modern data analysis platform for biotech scientists that was acquired by Benchling in 2025. I’m also the founder and president of Bits in Bio, a global nonprofit community for people building at the intersection of software and the life sciences, and I run Xylem, a scout fund focused on the bioeconomy.

Earlier, I was the first software engineer at Octant Bio and led machine learning infrastructure at BenevolentAI. My research includes CORELS, an interpretable machine learning system for certifiably optimal rule lists.

Writing & conversations

  1. Building the AI Scientist Inside the Notebook Decoding Bio · 2026
  2. The tool design tricks behind Benchling’s AI agents Max Agency by LangChain · 2026
  3. AI tools for the modern lab Benchling · 2025
  4. Life science data analysis Software Engineering Daily · 2024
  5. Learning certifiably optimal rule lists Research and open-source software

Quick answers

Who am I?

I’m Nicholas Larus-Stone, Head of AI at Benchling and the founder of Sphinx Bio and Bits in Bio. I build software and AI systems that help scientists work with data and accelerate research.

What do I build at Benchling?

I lead the development of AI agents for scientific R&D, including systems that help scientists find and structure data, analyze experiments, generate reports, and design what to do next.

What was Sphinx Bio?

I founded Sphinx Bio to give biotech scientists direct access to experimental data through a modern data analysis platform, without tool-switching or downstream data wrangling. Benchling acquired Sphinx Bio in 2025.