Principal Data Scientist (Bioinformatics Focus)

Placements24; Queenstown; Remote; NZD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary + equity

Health, dental, vision insurance

Professional development budget

Fully remote work

Generous PTO

Flexible hours

Big data infrastructure access

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Data Scientist with a strong bioinformatics focus to join a fully remote team. You will lead complex analytics projects, develop predictive models, and mentor junior staff to shape the company's data science strategy.

Optimal candidates will have a PhD or MSc, 8+ years in bioinformatics, and fluency with Python or R and libraries like scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or PyTorch. A remote work setup and collaboration with cross-functional teams are essential.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master's degree in a quantitative field.
• 8+ years of experience as a Data Scientist with a bioinformatics focus.
• Expertise in statistical modeling, ML, and deep learning.
• Proficient in Python or R with scikit-learn, TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• Experience with large biological datasets and genomic pipelines.
• Strong independent work and ability for remote collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop ML models for biological data analytics.
• Analyze genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic datasets.
• Build predictive models for biomarkers and patient stratification.
• Collaborate with bioinformatics and clinical teams to define objectives.
• Design and run A/B tests to validate models and hypotheses.
• Develop visualization tools and mentor junior data scientists.
• Stay current with advances in data science, ML, and bioinformatics.

Skills

Statistical modeling

Machine learning

Deep learning

Genomics data

Remote collaboration

Project mentoring

Education

PhD or Master's degree

Bioinformatics/Computational Biology

Tools

Python

R

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a leader in personalized medicine and healthcare analytics, is seeking a Principal Data Scientist with a strong bioinformatics focus to join their fully remote team. This role is critical in leveraging advanced machine learning and statistical techniques to analyze large-scale biological datasets, including genomics, proteomics, and clinical data. You will lead complex analytical projects, develop predictive models, and provide actionable insights that drive research and clinical decision-making. As a Principal Data Scientist, you will mentor junior team members and play a key role in shaping the company's data science strategy. This is an exceptional opportunity to impact healthcare innovation from a **remote** location, working with cutting-edge technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement sophisticated machine learning models for biological data analysis (e.g., classification, regression, clustering).
• Analyze and interpret complex genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic datasets.
• Build predictive models to identify disease biomarkers, patient stratification, and treatment response.
• Collaborate with bioinformatics and clinical teams to define analytical objectives and translate findings into actionable insights.
• Design and execute A/B tests and other experiments to validate models and hypotheses.
• Develop data visualization tools and dashboards to communicate complex findings effectively.
• Mentor junior data scientists and guide them in best practices.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in data science, machine learning, and bioinformatics.
• Contribute to the development of data science best practices and MLOps within the organization.

Requirements

• PhD or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Bioinformatics, or a related quantitative field.
• 8+ years of experience as a Data Scientist, with a significant portion focused on bioinformatics or computational biology.
• Expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and deep learning frameworks.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R, and experience with relevant libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Strong experience working with large biological datasets and databases.
• Familiarity with bioinformatics tools and genomic data analysis pipelines.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, essential for **remote** collaboration.
• Experience leading projects and mentoring junior team members.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and substantial bonus and equity packages.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous budget for professional development, conferences, and training.
• Opportunity to work on impactful projects that advance personalized medicine.
• Fully **remote** work environment offering excellent work-life balance.
• Access to cutting-edge computational resources and big data infrastructure.
• Collaborative and intellectually stimulating research environment.
• Generous paid time off and flexible working hours.