Machine Learning Scientist, Scientific Reasoning Models, AI for Drug Discovery

Genentech; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 147,600 - 274,000; Full time

Job summary

Genentech is seeking a Machine Learning Scientist in South San Francisco to revolutionize drug discovery using AI. In this role, you'll design and improve large-scale machine learning systems, translate biological knowledge into ML objectives, and work with researchers to transition prototypes into production. Required qualifications include a BS/MS in a quantitative field with relevant experience. Competitive salary range is $147,600 - $274,000 based on experience, along with potential bonuses and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant work experience or Ph.D. with 0-2 years.
• Strong publication record at top-tier venues like NeurIPS or ICML.
• Experience developing and training large-scale machine learning models.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and improve large-scale distributed machine learning systems.
• Develop and execute strategies for improving model performance on scientific tasks.
• Collaborate with researchers to translate ideas into scalable systems.

Skills

Large-scale machine learning model development

Software engineering

High-performance computing systems

Bioscience knowledge translation

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics or related field

Ph.D. in relevant field

Tools

Machine Learning libraries

Job description

Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche.

Advances in AI, data, and computational sciences are transforming drug discovery and development. Roche’s Research and Early Development organisations at Genentech (gRED) and Pharma (pRED) have demonstrated how these technologies accelerate R&D, leveraging data and novel computational models to drive impact. Seamless data sharing and access to models across gRED and pRED are essential to maximising these opportunities. The new Computational Sciences Center of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic, unified group whose goal is to harness the transformative power of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist our scientists in both pRED and gRED to deliver more innovative and transformative medicines for patients worldwide.

The Opportunity

At Roche’s AI for Drug Discovery (AIDD) group, we are revolutionizing drug discovery with cutting‑edge machine learning (ML) techniques. We are seeking a Machine Learning Scientist to join the Foundation Models team within Prescient Design (gRED). In this role, you will contribute to our internal reasoning Large Language Models (LLMs) and enable it to succeed at relevant drug discovery tasks, including biomolecular design. You will work at the intersection of engineering and research, designing and scaling large machine‑learning systems.

In this role, you will:

• Scalable Systems & Engineering: Design, implement, and improve large‑scale distributed machine learning systems, writing robust, performance‑critical code and contributing to core infrastructure.
• Model Improvement & Reasoning: Develop and execute strategies to systematically improve performance on scientific tasks, including long‑horizon task completion and complex reasoning challenges.
• Domain Translation: Translate biological and chemical domain knowledge into concrete machine learning objectives, training signals, and evaluation criteria.
• Evaluation & Benchmarks: Design and implement evaluation methodologies to assess model capabilities relevant to biological research, working with domain experts to establish benchmarks and curate high‑quality data.
• Research‑to‑Production: Collaborate closely with researchers to translate ideas and prototypes into scalable, production‑ready systems.

As a Machine Learning Scientist:

• Focus: Execute defined projects, writing clean, efficient code to test specific hypotheses regarding reasoning and alignment.
• Engineering: Maintain the training infrastructure and data pipelines, ensuring experiments run reliably on our clusters.
• Collaboration: Work closely with senior scientists to implement novel algorithms, translating research papers into working prototypes.

Who You Are

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field with 2+ years of relevant work experience; or Ph.D. with 0‑2 years of relevant work experience.
• LLM Expertise: Experience developing and training large‑scale machine learning models, including post‐training techniques to enhance domain knowledge, reasoning capabilities, and model alignment.
• Publication Record: A strong history of research excellence at top‑tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML).
• Engineering: Strong software engineering skills and experience working with high‑performance computing systems.

Preferred

• Experience with molecular modalities (e.g., protein sequences, chemical graphs, and structured molecular data).
• A public portfolio of research or significant contributions to open‑source ML libraries.
• A passion for applying frontier AI to drug discovery.

Benefits

The expected salary range for this position, based on the primary location of New York City, is $141,100 ‑ 262,100. For San Francisco, $147,600 ‑ 274,000. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job‑related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and company performance. This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

Relocation benefits are NOT available for this job posting.

Genentech is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to discrimination on the basis of protected veteran status, individuals with disability status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants.