Scientist 3, In Vivo Translational Imaging

F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 192,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

Benefits package

Job summary

Genentech, a member of the Roche group, seeks a highly skilled imaging scientist to drive preclinical and translational imaging research. You will work across in vivo experiments, scanner operations, quantitative analysis, and AI-enabled workflows to translate imaging data into actionable therapeutic insights.

You will design and optimize MRI protocols, perform multimodal imaging analyses, and develop robust Python pipelines for scalable, reproducible research on HPC clusters with GPU

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in biomedical imaging or related quantitative field is required or strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience with in vivo preclinical imaging and MRI physics is expected.
• Proficiency with Python, Linux, and Git in research environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and optimize in vivo preclinical imaging studies following ethical and safety standards.
• Operate and refine preclinical MRI protocols and apply quantitative analysis of anatomical and physiological data.
• Support multimodal imaging by integrating PET/SPECT and biodistribution workflows.
• Develop robust, reproducible image-processing pipelines for registration, segmentation, and longitudinal analysis.
• Build scalable analysis code in Python and run workflows on HPC clusters with containers and GPU acceleration.
• Apply AI tools, prompting techniques, and coding agents to speed discovery and document code.

Skills

Python programming

MRI physics knowledge

AI tooling familiarity

Education

PhD or equivalent in Biomedical Engineering/Imaging Science/Physics

Tools

Docker

GPU computing

Slurm

Git

Job description

The Opportunity

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

• 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

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.

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.

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.

Who We Are

Genentech, a member of the Roche group and founder of the biotechnology industry, is dedicated to pursuing groundbreaking science to discover and develop medicines for people with serious and life-threatening diseases. To solve the world's most complex health challenges, we ask bigger questions that challenge our industry and the boundaries of science to transform society. Our transformational discoveries include the first targeted antibody for cancer and the first medicine for primary progressive multiple sclerosis. The next step is yours.

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.

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.