Principal ML Scientist

ZipRecruiter; Austin (TX); Remote; USD 188,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in precision medicine is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Scientist to leverage multimodal data for transformative insights. This role involves leading innovative machine learning projects, collaborating with diverse teams, and driving scientific advancements in healthcare.

Benefits

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401k

Fertility Care Benefits

Baby Bonding Leave

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience applying machine learning to real-world problems.
• Expertise in handling large-scale biological data.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of machine learning models.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define scientific questions.

Skills

Machine Learning

Data Analysis

Programming

Collaboration

Education

PhD in Computer Science

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Pandas

NumPy

Job description

Job Description

We are seeking a Principal Machine Learning Scientist with deep expertise in multimodal data (e.g., genomic, transcriptomic, clinical, and/or imaging) to help us unlock transformative insights in precision medicine. In this senior technical leader role, you will lead the development of novel machine learning and AI approaches to power next-generation insights in precision medicine, translational research, and drug development.

You will partner with scientists, engineers, and product teams to translate cutting-edge machine learning into real-world impact, spanning research, development, and production environments. You will have the opportunity to drive scientific innovation with direct translational impact, collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of domain experts, clinicians, and technologists, and access to unique, large-scale multimodal datasets and high-performance computing infrastructure.

Responsibilities

1. Lead the design and development of machine learning models that integrate multimodal data sources (e.g., WGS/WES, RNA-seq, clinical records, pathology images, real-world data).
2. Develop novel algorithms and adapt state-of-the-art architectures (e.g., transformers, graph neural networks, diffusion models, embedding models) for biological and clinical applications.
3. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define scientific questions, shape the ML roadmap, and prioritize data problems aligned with strategic objectives.
4. Design and run rigorous experiments to evaluate model performance, interpretability, robustness, and fairness in high-stakes biomedical contexts.
5. Guide the creation of scalable, reproducible pipelines for training, evaluating, and deploying models, serving as a bridge between research innovation and production deployment.
6. Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and scientists, contributing to a culture of scientific and technical excellence.
7. Publish high-impact research and contribute to open-source projects or industry consortia to extend the impact of your work.

Requirements

• PhD in Computer Science, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Statistics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of experience applying machine learning to real-world problems, including at least 4+ years in biology (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) or precision medicine domains.
• Expertise in handling and modeling large-scale, high-dimensional biological data (e.g., sequencing, imaging, clinical records).
• Deep understanding of modern ML/AI methods (e.g., deep learning, probabilistic models, representation learning) and their application to complex real-world data.
• Experience integrating and modeling multimodal datasets (e.g., genomics + clinical or imaging data).
• Strong programming skills and familiarity with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Pandas/NumPy, MLFlow).
• Proven ability to work across disciplines and communicate complex results clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Qualifications

• Experience with modern ML architectures, including transformer-based models and/or alternatives suited for biological, multimodal, or structured data.
• Contributions to scientific publications, preprints, or open-source projects in the genomics/ML space.
• Experience with building or deploying ML systems using cloud-based infrastructure (e.g., AWS).

The pay range is listed and actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors, including skill set, experience, certifications, and location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations. Remote USA: $188,800—$235,950 USD.

Our Opportunity

Natera is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women's health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions for longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team includes statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, and software engineers from world-class institutions, who care deeply about our work and each other. Joining Natera means working hard, growing quickly, and being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

What We Offer

Competitive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and plans for eligible employees and dependents. Free testing for employees and immediate families, fertility care benefits, baby bonding leave, 401k, commuter benefits, and more. We also have a generous employee referral program.

For more information, visit www.natera.com.

Natera is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applicants of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of protected statuses or criminal history, in accordance with applicable laws.

If you are based in California, please read this important information: https://www.natera.com/notice-of-data-collection-california-

Note: Natera will only contact candidates with a @natera.com email address. Beware of fraudulent emails from other domains. For more info, see BBB and FBI resources on job scams.