Lead Bioinformatics & ML Scientist — Remote Cancer Diagnostics

Natera; United States; Remote; USD 146,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Natera is seeking a Lead Bioinformatics & Machine Learning Scientist to advance epigenomics in oncology within the cfDNA research program. You will lead ML research, design novel models, and guide validation efforts across collaboration with molecular biologists and biostatisticians.

You will mentor scientists, drive code reviews, and establish best practices for reproducibility and model interpretability while developing pipelines for cfDNA methylation data and high-throughput sequencing

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics, CS, ML, Statistics or related field with 4–8+ years post-PhD.
• Experience in cancer genomics or epigenomics; cfDNA methylation data a plus.
• Strong ML, statistical modeling; deep learning frameworks a plus.
• Proven track record developing computational methods for high-throughput sequencing data.
• Proficient in Python with pandas/NumPy/scikit-learn.
• Experience with Linux command-line tools, shell scripting, version control (Git), workflow managers (Nextflow, Snakemake), and cloud or HPC compute environments.
• Ability to perform hypothesis-driven research, visualize findings, and summarize results in oral and written form.
• Experience mentoring or technically leading other scientists.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical workstreams from problem to final classifiers delivered to validation teams.
• Design, implement, and validate novel ML and statistical methods for cancer diagnostics.
• Establish and promote model interpretability, uncertainty estimation, and reproducibility.
• Design robust feature pipelines for cfDNA methylation and sequencing data.
• Collaborate with molecular biologists on experimental design and data quality control.
• Mentor scientists and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Lead and participate in code and design reviews.

Skills

Python stack

Linux CLI

Shell scripting

Git

Nextflow

Snakemake

Cloud/HPC

Machine learning

Statistics

Mentoring

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics

Post-PhD experience 4–8+ years

Tools

Python (pandas/NumPy)

Linux

Job description

Natera is seeking a Lead Bioinformatics & Machine Learning Scientist to advance epigenomics in oncology within the cfDNA research program. You will lead ML research, design novel models, and guide validation efforts across collaboration with molecular biologists and biostatisticians.

You will mentor scientists, drive code reviews, and establish best practices for reproducibility and model interpretability while developing pipelines for cfDNA methylation data and high-throughput sequencing