AI Data Scientist-Furman lab

Buck Institute for Research on Aging; Novato (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid parental leave

Generous paid time off

401(k) with 5% employer match

Job summary

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, is seeking an exceptional AI Data Scientist to join a collaborative research team focused on aging and computational biology. You will work on developing innovative AI-enabled systems for managing and analyzing complex datasets.

The position requires a Master’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant domain, strong proficiency in Python, and a demonstrated ability in building AI systems. A competitive salary and generous benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Strong proficiency in Python and AI system development.
• Experience with modern software engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop AI-enabled systems for data harmonization and modeling.
• Build scalable pipelines for data extraction and validation.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to translate research into computational tools.

Skills

Large language models

AI-assisted workflows

Python

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or related field

Tools

APIs

Cloud platforms

Docker

Job description

Position Summary

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging is seeking an exceptional, highly motivated AI Data Scientist / Agentic AI Engineer to join a collaborative research team focused on aging, computational biology, multi-omics, and translational data science. This role is ideal for a technically outstanding individual with a Master’s degree or equivalent experience who has demonstrated excellence through high‑impact projects, awards, hackathons, publications, startup experience, open‑source contributions, or other evidence of exceptional technical ability. We are especially interested in candidates who are deeply fluent in the use of large language models, agentic AI systems, modern software engineering practices, and scalable approaches for harmonizing and modeling large, complex datasets.

The successful candidate will contribute to multiple government‑funded and institutional research initiatives, including a recently launched project focused on using large‑scale human data to better understand biological aging, resilience, healthspan, and age‑related disease risk. This role will help develop innovative AI‑enabled systems for organizing, harmonizing, analyzing, modeling, and interpreting large datasets generated across multiple collaborators, institutions, platforms, and data types.

We are looking for someone who is not only technically strong, but also inventive, entrepreneurial, and capable of rapidly building solutions. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working at the intersection of AI, software engineering, data science, and biomedical research, and will bring the creativity needed to design new approaches for managing and modeling complex scientific data.

Key Responsibilities

Apply LLMs, agentic AI, and modern machine learning approaches to biomedical research

• Develop AI‑enabled systems for large‑scale data harmonization and modeling: design, build, and implement computational systems that support the organization, harmonization, modeling, and interpretation of large biomedical datasets.
• Build pipelines to extract, standardize, and validate metadata and data dictionaries.
• Create systems to support multi‑modal data integration across omics, clinical, demographic, imaging, and functional datasets.
• Develop scalable approaches for identifying patterns, inconsistencies, and missing information across large datasets.
• Support model development for prediction, classification, clustering, and biological interpretation.
• Prototype AI tools that improve research productivity, reproducibility, and scientific discovery.
• Build workflows using large language models, retrieval‑augmented generation, vector databases, tool‑calling agents, and automated reasoning systems.
• Design AI agents capable of interacting with structured and unstructured scientific data.
• Develop systems that assist with literature mining, data annotation, hypothesis generation, and biological interpretation.
• Evaluate the performance, limitations, and reliability of AI‑enabled tools in biomedical research contexts.
• Support responsible, reproducible, and well‑documented use of AI in federally funded research.
• Collaborate with bioinformaticians and domain experts to translate research needs into functional computational tools.

Support large‑scale data science and computational biology projects

• Transcriptomics, including single‑cell and bulk RNA‑seq.
• Proteomics.
• Metabolomics.
• Epigenetics and biological aging clocks.
• Clinical and phenotypic datasets.
• Survey data.
• Integrative multi‑omics.
• Dimensionality reduction and clustering.
• Classification methods and predictive modeling.
• Drug repurposing.
• Network analysis and pathway enrichment.
• Computer vision and feature extraction, as applicable.

Collaborate across interdisciplinary teams

• Translate scientific goals into computational tools and workflows.
• Participate in project meetings and present technical progress.
• Create clear documentation, diagrams, and technical specifications.
• Support manuscript preparation, grant writing, figure generation, and reporting.
• Work with diverse teams to improve data transfer, management, and analysis systems.
• Help establish best practices for AI‑assisted data science in biomedical research.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field; equivalent professional, entrepreneurial, or technical experience will also be considered.
• Demonstrated experience building AI, data science, machine learning, or software engineering systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python.
• Experience using large language models, AI APIs, or LLM‑based developer tools.
• Experience with modern software engineering practices, version control, testing, documentation, and collaborative development.
• Ability to work independently, rapidly prototype solutions, and solve ambiguous technical problems.

Required Skills

• Strong practical experience with large language models and AI‑assisted workflows.
• Interest or experience in agentic AI, tool‑calling agents, retrieval‑augmented generation, vector search, or automated workflow orchestration.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to design systems for organizing, harmonizing, and modeling large datasets.
• Comfort working with structured and unstructured data.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to reproducibility.
• Ability to collaborate with both technical and non‑technical team members.
• High degree of creativity, initiative, and intellectual curiosity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Evidence of exceptional technical achievement, such as hackathon wins, awards, competitive programming, startup experience, open‑source contributions, publications, deployed products, or other high‑impact projects.
• Experience with biomedical, healthcare, clinical, or omics data.
• Experience with APIs, cloud platforms, Docker, databases, or scalable data systems.
• Experience with vector databases, embeddings, RAG systems, or AI agent frameworks.
• Experience with Python‑based data science libraries and machine learning frameworks.
• Familiarity with data harmonization, metadata standards, ontologies, or research data repositories.
• Experience working in fast‑paced startup, academic, or highly collaborative environments.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: $60,000–$75,000, commensurate with experience.
• Full‑time position.
• Exciting, collaborative work environment at the forefront of aging research, AI, and computational biology.
• Opportunity to help build AI‑enabled systems for large‑scale biomedical discovery.
• Generous benefits package, including:
  • Health insurance.
  • Paid parental leave.
  • Generous paid time off.
  • 401(k) with 5% employer match.
• Work visa sponsorship may be available for qualified candidates.

We are an equal opportunity employer and strive to create an atmosphere where diversity of identity, experience, and background are welcomed, valued, and supported. Candidates who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply.