Senior Machine Learning Scientist, Foundational ML, AI for Biology & Translation (AIBT)

NLP PEOPLE; Daly City (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Job summary

Genentech is seeking a Senior ML Research Scientist to design and build foundation models for target and drug discovery, collaborating across gRED and Roche to accelerate translational science.

You will advance large-scale representation learning and multimodal models, integrate molecular, omics, and text data, and publish results at top conferences while fostering robust ML practices in an interdisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, ML, Computational Biology, or related field.
• 0–2+ years of industry or post-doc experience.
• Proven track record advancing ML models, especially in large-scale representation learning, multimodal generative models, LLMs, AI agents, and RL.
• Interest in AI for biology, chemistry, and drug discovery.
• Excellent knowledge of deep learning theory and practice.
• Proficient in Python; experienced with PyTorch or JAX.
• Strong software engineering, data engineering, and MLOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and build foundation models for target and drug discovery, focusing on large-scale representation learning, multimodal generative models, LLMs, AI agents, and RL.
• Integrate data modalities such as molecular structures, biological sequences, omics data, and text.
• Scale frontier AI models to massive datasets with emphasis on system design and MLOps collaboration.
• Publish in top ML venues and present results at conferences/workshops; collaborate with interdisciplinary teams across gRED and Roche.

Skills

Python programming

Deep learning theory

MLOps practices

Git/GitHub

PyTorch

JAX

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Computer Science / ML / Computational Biology

Tools

PyTorch

JAX

Git

MLflow

Job description

About the Position

Advances in AI, data, and computational sciences are transforming drug discovery and development. Roche’s Research and Early Development organisations at Genentech (gRED) and Pharma (pRED) have demonstrated how these technologies accelerate R&D, leveraging data and novel computational models to drive impact. Seamless data sharing and access to models across gRED and pRED are essential to maximising these opportunities. The new Computational Sciences Center of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic, unified group whose goal is to harness the transformative power of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist our scientists in both pRED and gRED to deliver more innovative and transformative medicines for patients worldwide.

Responsibilities

Design and build foundation models to support target and drug discovery, with a focus on large-scale representation learning, multimodal generative models, LLMs, AI agents, and reinforcement learning.Work with and integrate diverse data modalities such as molecular structures, biological sequences, omics data, biochemical readouts, and text.Bridge cutting-edge AI models and applications supporting target discovery, experimental design, and lab-in-the-loop pipelines.Scale frontier AI models to massive datasets working at the intersection of deep learning and engineering challenges, focusing on system design, architectural choices, and scalability, in collaboration with engineering and MLOps teams.Publish in top-tier ML venues and scientific journals, and present results at internal and external conferences and workshops.Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary and cross-functional teams across gRED and Roche.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, or a related quantitative field0 – 2+ years of industry or post-doc experienceProven track record advancing ML models in research and/or industry settings, particularly in large-scale representation learning, multimodal generative models, LLMs, AI agents, and reinforcement learning.Demonstrated interest in advancing AI for scientific applications spanning biology, chemistry, and drug discovery.Excellent knowledge of the theory and practice of deep learning.Proven experience developing and delivering innovative ML solutions in the areas above.Excellent Python programming skills, fluency with modern agentic coding environments, and extensive experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.Strong grasp of software engineering, data engineering, and MLOps best practices (e.g., version control, high-performance compute infrastructures, and ML experiment monitoring workflows).Strong publication record and active contribution to research communities, including top-tier ML venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, ACL, EMNLP, AISTATS, etc. and/or public portfolio of relevant projects (e.g. hosted on GitHub/GitLab).Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Nice-to-Haves

Practical experience bridging innovative ML methods and applications in target/drug discovery.Experience with biological and chemical modalities and tasks such as molecular structures, single-cell/omics data, perturbation biology, and multimodal biological datasets.Hands‑on experience developing, finetuning, and optimizing LLMs and agentic systems.

Benefits

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.

Company

Genentech

Experience Level

Senior (5+ years of experience)