Machine Learning / Senior Machine Learning Scientist / Engineer

Location: South San Francisco, CA

Department: COMPUTING

Who We Are:

Calico (Calico Life Sciences LLC) is an Alphabet-founded research and development company whose mission is to harness advanced technologies and model systems to increase our understanding of the biology that controls human aging. Calico will use that knowledge to devise interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives. Calico’s highly innovative technology labs, its commitment to curiosity-driven discovery science, and, with academic and industry partners, its vibrant drug-development pipeline, together create an inspiring and exciting place to catalyze and enable medical breakthroughs. 

Position Description:

Calico is seeking a machine learning research scientist to develop innovative machine learning algorithms to model and design proteins. This person will work with a team of dedicated experimental biologists to design experiments to test and iteratively refine machine learning predictions.

The ideal candidate should be familiar with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, including language/sequence modeling, representation learning, generative models, and self-supervised learning techniques. Candidates should have experience implementing, extending, and debugging state of the art machine learning models, and have expertise in designing and building robust data infrastructure and tools. Candidates should be independent, self-motivated and be expected to explore relevant ML literature and apply novel approaches to various protein design problems at Calico. Candidates must demonstrate a strong ability to communicate ideas and results through publications and presentations and be able to work cross-functionally to execute on complex projects.

Position Requirements:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computational Biology, or related technical field; OR M.S. in Computer Science, Computational Biology, or related technical field, plus 2+ years industry experience
• Experience in applying deep learning to model biological sequences and structures
• Expert in TensorFlow, PyTorch, and/or JAX
• Strong software engineering skills and substantial expertise in Python
• Track record of outstanding communication and collaboration in a cross-functional environment
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills
• Must be willing to work onsite at least four days a week

Nice to Have:

• Domain expertise in computational biology, biochemistry or structural biology
• Familiarity with state of the art structure modeling tools such as AlphaFold
• Public recognition in the field, e.g. via scientific publications or success in machine learning competitions
• Prior experience working with biologists
• Prior experience working as an ML Engineer/Scientist

The estimated base salary range for this role is $170,000 - $240,000. Actual pay will be based on a number of factors including experience and qualifications. This position is also eligible for two annual cash bonuses.