RESEARCH PROGRAMMER II (SOFTWARE ENGINEER) - C. Wu Lab

The Scripps Research Institute; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, seeks a Research Programmer II (Software Engineer) to help build software infrastructure for bioinformatics, genetics, and genomics research. The role spans front-end, back-end, and DevOps, supporting large-scale data integration and community platforms such as outbreak.info and mygene.info.

You will join a diverse team of engineers and scientists in a hybrid or on-site arrangement, applying Python or JavaScript, collaborating across disciplines,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, IS, or related field, or equivalent.
• At least two years software development experience.
• Experience with Python or JavaScript.
• Experience with version control tools such as Git and GitHub.

Responsibilities

• Build software infrastructure and tools for bioinformatics, genetics, and genomics research.
• Develop front-end interfaces or backend systems for biomedical data.
• Collaborate with a diverse team of engineers and scientists.

Skills

Python

JavaScript

Git/GitHub

Software development fundamentals

Research programming

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Biology/chemistry degree with programming background

Tools

Elasticsearch

MongoDB

Postgres

Nginx

Docker

CI/CD

AWS

Job description

About us

Scripps Research is a nonprofit biomedical institute ranked as one of the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation. We celebrated our 100-year legacy in 2024. This significant milestone marks a century of seminal discoveries in immunology, infectious diseases (such as COVID-19, flu, HIV), neuroscience, heart disease, cancer, and more. Located in La Jolla, California, the institute houses six research departments, multiple Nobel laureates, a top-ranked graduate school and a leading postdoctoral training program. Scripps Research encompasses two elite and highly innovative institutes, the Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines and Scripps Research Translational Institute, which merge foundational studies in biology, chemistry and computer science with translational science to produce pioneering drugs and advances in digital and precision medicine. Together, we cultivate new scientific leaders and expand the frontiers of knowledge to deliver medical breakthroughs impacting human health around the globe. If you have a passion for making a difference, this could be your opportunity to join our transformative team.

Position title

Research Programmer II (Software Engineer)

Position summary

The hiring laboratory is involved in numerous projects to build software infrastructure and tools for bioinformatics, genetics, and genomics research. We have a particular emphasis on building large scale data integration infrastructure and on community platforms that enable collaboration and crowdsourcing. Representative projects include outbreak.info, the BioThings SDK for building APIs (biothings.io), and mygene.info. The broader research team includes a mix of software engineers and scientists; of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff; and of geographically and demographically diverse individuals. We actively cultivate an inclusive work environment.

This position can focus on any aspect of software engineering, including developing front-end interfaces to discover and analyze data, backend systems to efficiently access biomedical data, and/or DevOps to deploy and maintain software infrastructure.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience. A degree in a biological or chemical science may be accepted if accompanied with programming education, training, and/or experience.
• Minimum of two years experience in software application development and research programming.
• Experience with software development in Python or JavaScript.
• A demonstrated ability to apply the fundamentals of software application development.
• Experience with version control, including git and github.

Preferred skillset

Prior experience with the one or more of the following is preferred:

• Familiarity with biomedical research and methodology, especially genetics and genomics.
• Experience developing scalable system architectures that adhere to good software engineering principles
• Ability to tackle large, open-ended research questions independently and as part of a team
• Bioinformatics or computational biology experience
• Experience working within a diverse, interdisciplinary team.
• Experience building or consuming web service Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for data integration.
• Experience contributing to open source software projects.
• Experience in LLM-based coding agents.

In addition, for applicants focusing on front-end development:

• JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue.js, Angular, or similar), HTML5, CSS3, SASS/SCSS/LESS, TypeScript
• Developing tools to share, visualize, and analyze biomedical data
• Data visualization principles and methodology, and a portfolio of projects applying these principles to create
• Web-based static and interactive visualizations using libraries like D3.js or Vega
• User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design
• Cloud-based deployment

For applicants focusing on backend development or DevOps roles:

• Elasticsearch
• MongoDB
• Postgres
• Nginx
• Linux server (Ubuntu Server) administration
• Amazon Web Services setup and management
• Automated deployment
• Docker/Docker-compose, and automated CI/CD workflow setup
• Ansible

Additional information

This position offers the flexibility of a hybrid or fully on-site work arrangement.

Physical requirements

This position works in an office environment. Further details of the physical requirements of established essential functions for this position will be addressed/discussed during the interview process.

Compensation

The expected hiring range for this position is $70,304 to $80,000 per year, commensurate with experience. Consideration will be given to experience that exceeds the listed requirements.

Comprehensive benefits include

• Employer Contributed Retirement Plan - Depending on eligibility, employees receive an employer contributed retirement plan (no employee contribution required) and the option to contribute to a 403(b) (which is similar to a 401(k) using your own pre or post-tax dollars)
• Full Suite of Health and Welfare plans including three medical plan options (including an HSA available option), dental, vision, life insurance, disability, EAP and more
• Access to Flexible Spending Accounts (Medical/Dependent Care)
• Competitive vacation and sick leave policies
• Free, on-site parking

The above statements describe the level of work performed and expected in general terms. The statements are not intended to list all the responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of employees so classified, and the content herein is subject to change due to the business needs of Scripps Research, with or without notice. Furthermore, nothing in this job description shall be interpreted to be in conflict with or to eliminate or modify in any way the employment-at-will status of Scripps Research staff.

EEO statement

The Scripps Research Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote diversity of thought, culture and background in the fields of science. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.