Principal Scientist

Cytokinetics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 203,000 - 236,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in stock options

Comprehensive health, dental, vision

401k with employer match

Learning stipends

Job summary

Cytokinetics is seeking a highly motivated computational scientist to lead translational biomarker discovery at the intersection of human genetics, multi-omics, and AI/ML. You will identify biomarkers that diagnose disease, predict progression, and anticipate outcomes in cardiac and skeletal muscle disorders.

Collaborating with experimental biologists and clinical research, you will translate patient insights into discovery and bring discovery toward the clinic, as a hands-on leader applying AI

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Human Genetics, Bioinformatics, or related field with post‑doc/industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Integrate genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and single-cell data to trace how genetic variation drives molecular changes in muscle disease.
• Discover and validate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers using omics and longitudinal clinical data.
• Develop AI/ML methods linking molecular profiles with imaging and clinical phenotypes to define patient subgroups.
• Investigate disease heterogeneity and genotype-phenotype discordance to uncover modifier pathways.
• Lead translational applications of LLMs and agents with benchmarking.

Skills

Genomics data analysis

Transcriptomics

Single-cell analysis

R and Python

AI/ML methods

LLMs

Education

Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Human Genetics, Bioinformatics or related field

Tools

GWAS data processing

Longitudinal data analysis

Biomarker discovery pipelines

Job description

Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction.We are seeking a highly motivated computational scientist to lead translational biomarker discovery at the intersection of human genetics, multi-omics, and AI/ML. In this role, you will identify biomarkers that diagnose disease, predict how it progresses, and anticipate patient outcomes in conditions of impaired cardiac and skeletal muscle function. Bringing together genetic evidence, multi-omics profiling and rich clinical phenotypes, you will work out not only which patients are at risk, but why.Partnering closely with experimental biologists and clinical research, you will carry insights from patients into discovery and from discovery back toward the clinic. This is a hands-on computational leadership role for a scientist excited to apply modern AI/ML to human data in muscle disease.Responsibilities:Integrate genomic, transcriptomics, proteomic and single cell data to trace how genetic variation drives molecular and cellular changes in cardiac and skeletal muscle diseaseDiscover and validate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of disease onset, progression, and clinical outcomes using omics and longitudinal clinical data from biobanks and patient cohortsDevelop and validate AI/ML methods linking molecular profiles with imaging and clinical phenotypes to define patient subgroups for precision medicineInvestigate disease heterogeneity and genotype-phenotype discordance to uncover modifier pathways and generate mechanistic hypotheses for experimental follow upLead translational applications of LLMs and agents (e.g., evidence synthesis, data curation) with appropriate benchmarkingQualifications:Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Human Genetics, Bioinformatics, or a related field with 6+ years of post-doctoral or industry experienceStrong expertise in analyzing large-scale genomic datasets, including GWAS and sequencing dataDeep expertise in transcriptomics, proteomics, or single-cell analysis with integration across data typesTrack record translating human molecular or phenotypic data into disease mechanisms, therapeutic targets or biomarker strategiesProficiency in R and/or Python, with expertise in study design, batch effects, confounding, longitudinal data and evaluating AI/ML methodsStrong interest in applying AI tools, including LLMs and agents, to translational research (production experience not required) and ability to lead cross-functional projects and mentor scientistsPreferred Qualifications:Experience with population biobanks (e.g., UK Biobank, All of Us) or disease-specific cohortsDrug discovery experience including biomarker analysis, patient sample studies, or patient stratificationExperience integrating genetic evidence with single cell or tissue-specific expression dataPrevious therapeutic area experience in cardiovascular and neuromuscular disease is strongly desiredExperience prototyping LLM-assisted or agentic workflowsYou don’t need to be an expert in every modality or tool. We value depth in a core area, breadth of thinking, and the initiative to generate evidence that changes decisions.To Apply:Please submit your CV, a cover letter outlining your research experience and interests, and a list of publications.Pay Range:The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of South San Francisco, CA is $202,5000-$236,250. The base pay offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. Base salary is just one component of our competitive total compensation package, which includes equity in the form of stock options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.Please review our General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy PRIOR to applying.Our passion is anchored in robust scientific thinking, grounded in integrity and critical thinking. We keep the patient front and center in all we do – all actions and decisions are in service of the patient and their caregivers. We champion integrity, ethics, doing the right thing, and being our best selves.Fraud Warning: How to Identify Impersonated Cytokinetics Job Postings and OffersRecently, there have been fraudulent employment offers being sent to candidates on behalf of Cytokinetics. Please be advised that all legitimate offers from Cytokinetics will come directly from our official email domain (Cytokinetics.com) and will only be made after completing a formal interview process.Here are some ways to check for authenticity:We do not conduct job interviews through non-standard text messaging applicationsWe will never request personal information such as banking details until after an official offer has been accepted and verifiedWe will never request that you purchase equipment or other items when interviewing or hiringIf you are unsure about the authenticity of an offer, or if you receive any suspicious communication, please contact us directly at [e-mail] visit our website at: www.cytokinetics.comCytokinetics is an Equal Opportunity Employer