Research Programmer IV- Machine Learning & Computational Neuroscience, Kennedy Lab

The Scripps Research Institute; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

On-site parking

Employer contributed retirement plan

Job summary

The Kennedy laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA seeks a Research Programmer IV (Software Engineer) to develop computational methods that track, quantify, and forecast behavior and neural activity, including ML and computer vision for high‑throughput phenotyping.

Ideal candidates will contribute to scientific papers, lead independent projects on existing datasets from collaborators, and advance model development in a collaborative lab environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or related field; biology/chemistry background may be accepted if applicable.
• Minimum of 8 years experience in software development or research programming.
• Extensive experience with Python.
• Experience building/training deep neural networks for ML tasks.
• Experience with version control using Git and GitHub.

Responsibilities

• Develop computational methods to track, quantify, and forecast behavior and neural activity.
• Lead independent research projects on existing datasets from collaborators.

Skills

Python

Deep neural networks

Software development fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field

Tools

Git

GitHub

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 IV (Software Engineer)

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Kennedy laboratory is involved in numerous projects to track, quantify, and forecast individual and group behavior and relate it to recorded neural activity. We develop new computational methods to understand how agents (animals, humans, virtual) gather information about their sensory environment, integrate this with internal motivational needs, and execute goal-directed actions in complex, naturalistic environments. We also develop machine learning and computer vision platforms for high-throughput animal phenotyping, with the goal of accelerating drug screening and repurposing efforts at Scripps.

We seek motivated individuals interested in gaining hands‑on experience in scientific research projects, with a goal of contributing to scientific papers and participating in an active lab environment. You will also have the opportunity to lead independent research projects on existing datasets from our collaborators (U Penn, UCLA, Harvard, U Utah, Northwestern, and others). This is an ideal position for applicants interested in building their scientific CV ahead of applying to graduate programs in Computational Neuroscience or Machine Learning, or those looking for a longer term position where they can contribute to original scientific research and model development.

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 applicable to the science developed/performed in the individual lab.
• Minimum of 8 years experience in software application development or research programming.
• Extensive experience with software development in Python.
• Experience building and training deep neural networks for supervised, unsupervised, or reinforcement learning problems.
• A demonstrated ability to apply the fundamentals of software application development.
• Experience with version control, including git and github.

Please include code samples and/or a link to a public code repository with examples of your work.

PREFERRED SKILLSET:

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

• Experience with sequence/time series data, control/reinforcement learning problems and environments, time series forecasting.
• An understanding of generative modeling (hidden Markov models, diffusion models, etc).
• Familiarity with topics in motor control, robotics, and neuroscience.

As a member of a computational lab working in team projects, the following general skills are also preferred:

• 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.
• Willingness to be an active participant in a computational lab environment, including taking part in lab meetings, journal clubs, and hackathons.
• Experience working within a diverse, interdisciplinary team.
• Experience contributing to open source software projects.

LOCATION:

La Jolla, California.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

This position works in an office environment, and it is expected that work will be primarily performed in‑person.

COMPENSTAION:

The expected hiring range for this position is $90,000 to $110,000, 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.