Scientist 3, In Vivo Translational Imaging

Genentech; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 103,000 - 192,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Discretionary bonus potential

Job summary

Genentech in South San Francisco seeks a scientist to drive preclinical and translational imaging research, bridging in vivo experiments, MRI/PET operations, and AI-enabled workflows to turn imaging data into therapeutic insights.

You will design and execute imaging studies, develop analysis pipelines in Python for HPC, and collaborate across biology, pharmacology, and computational biology to inform decisions.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent in a quantitative imaging field.
• Hands-on in vivo imaging experience in regulated research environments.
• Strong MRI physics knowledge and artifact mitigation.
• Proficiency with Python for image analysis in Linux/Git workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and optimize in vivo preclinical imaging studies.
• Operate and refine preclinical MRI protocols and quantitative analyses.
• Integrate data across PET/SPECT and biodistribution workflows.
• Develop reproducible image-processing pipelines and longitudinal analysis.
• Build Python-based analysis code for HPC workflows with containers.
• Apply AI tools and prompting to accelerate discovery and documentation.
• Collaborate with biologists and clinicians to translate endpoints into decisions.

Skills

Python

MRI physics

AI-assisted workflows

LLM prompting

3D/4D image analysis

Git & Linux

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent in quantitative imaging

Tools

Git

Linux

Docker

Apptainer/Singularity

Slurm

Job description

The Position

The Opportunity

In the Department of Translational Imaging, you will drive preclinical and translational imaging research to help deliver life-changing healthcare solutions. You will work within a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment, moving seamlessly between in vivo experimentation, scanner operations (preclinical MRI/PET), quantitative analysis, and modern AI-enabled computational workflows to translate imaging data into therapeutic discoveries.

Key responsibilities include:

• Design, execute, and optimize in vivo preclinical imaging studies following approved ethical, compliance, and institutional safety standards.

• Operate and refine preclinical MRI protocols, applying quantitative methods to characterize anatomy, microstructure, physiology, and therapeutic treatment responses.

• Support multimodal imaging studies by integrating data across nuclear imaging (PET/SPECT) and biodistribution workflows.

• Develop and maintain robust, reproducible image-processing pipelines for registration, segmentation, quantitative feature extraction, and longitudinal analysis.

• Build scalable, reproducible analysis code primarily in Python, executing workflows across High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters utilizing containers and GPU acceleration.

• Apply AI tools, prompting techniques, and coding agents to accelerate scientific discovery, streamline analysis prototyping, and enhance code documentation.

• Partner cross-functionally with biologists, pharmacologists, computational biologists, and research leaders to translate multimodal imaging endpoints into actionable scientific decisions.

Who you are

• You hold an advanced degree (Ph.D. or equivalent combined education and experience) in Biomedical Engineering, Biophysics, Physics, Imaging Science, Computer Science, or a related quantitative discipline.

• You bring practical hands-on experience or demonstrated comfort conducting in vivo model procedures within institutionally regulated research environments.

• You possess strong working knowledge of MRI physics and image formation, including pulse sequences, contrast mechanisms, signal-to-noise optimization, and artifact mitigation.

• You have demonstrated expertise analyzing 3D/4D quantitative imaging data using Python (or equivalent scientific programming) within Linux and version-controlled (Git) environments.

• You have practical fluency leveraging AI-assisted computational tools, LLM prompting, or coding agents to accelerate research and development workflows.

Preferred

• Hands-on experience with preclinical PET or SPECT acquisition, reconstruction, biodistribution analysis, and quantitative multimodal data integration.

• Experience developing or optimizing custom MRI pulse sequences, novel reconstruction algorithms, quantitative imaging biomarkers, and/or contrast-agent dynamics.

• Solid understanding of computer vision, image processing, and machine learning/deep learning methods for biomedical image segmentation, registration, and automated quality control.

• Proven experience working on High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters with workload managers (such as Slurm), containerization technologies (Docker, Apptainer/Singularity), and GPU acceleration.

• Proficiency in additional scientific programming languages and platforms (e.g., MATLAB, R, C/C++, ITK, 3D Slicer, or equivalent biomedical toolkits).

• Background in drug discovery, translational medicine, or oncology/neuroscience biomarker development, with a track record of bridging imaging metrics to pharmacological mechanism of action.

• Demonstrable scientific curiosity, agility, and comfort navigating seamlessly between hands-on scanner/bench work and dry-lab computational modeling.

Relocation benefits are available for this job posting.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of South San Francisco, CA is $103,400 to $192,000. 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.

Benefits

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 disabilities 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.