Sr. Machine Learning Scientist

F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 312,000; Full time

Job summary

Genentech, a member of the Roche group, seeks a Senior ML Scientist to drive the development of internal reasoning large language models for Prescient Design (gRED). You will lead technical implementations, design scalable ML systems, and translate domain knowledge into training signals for drug discovery tasks.

You will mentor junior staff, own end-to-end training pipelines, and partner with cross-functional teams to move models from research prototypes to production-ready systems that support

Qualifications

• PhD in a quantitative field; 0–2+ years of industry/post-doc experience in deep learning.
• Extensive experience developing and training large‑scale ML models with improved domain understanding, reasoning, and alignment.
• Strong publication record in top venues (NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML).
• Strong software engineering skills; experience building and operating large‑scale ML systems.
• Preferred: experience with molecular modalities (protein sequences, chemical graphs) is highly valued.
• Public portfolio of research or significant contributions to open‑source ML libraries.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and evolution of scientific reasoning systems; set technical direction for model architectures, training strategies, and evaluation methodologies.
• Define and execute approaches to improve model performance on scientific tasks, including long-horizon reasoning and complex decision-making.
• Translate biological and chemical domain knowledge into ML objectives, signals, and criteria; collaborate with domain experts.
• Architect and improve large-scale distributed ML systems ensuring robustness, efficiency, and reproducibility across training and evaluation.
• Partner with researchers and cross-functional teams to move models from research to production-ready systems for active discovery programs.

Skills

Deep learning

LLM development

Large-scale ML systems

Mentoring

Publication record

Education

PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or related quantitative field

Job description

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche. Advances in AI, data, and computational sciences are transforming drug discovery and development. Roche’s Research and Early Development organizations 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 maximizing 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.

The Opportunity:

At Roche's AI for Drug Discovery (AIDD) group (Prescient Design), we are revolutionizing drug discovery with cutting‑edge machine learning (ML) techniques. We are seeking a Senior Machine Learning Scientist to join the Foundation Models team within Prescient Design (gRED). In this role, you will drive the development of our internal reasoning Large Language Models (LLMs) and enable it to succeed at drug discovery tasks, including biomolecular design. You will work at the intersection of engineering and research, designing and scaling large machine learning systems.

In this role, you will:

• Technical Leadership & Strategy: Lead the design and evolution of scientific reasoning systems, setting technical direction for model architectures, training strategies, and evaluation methodologies.
• Model Capability & Improvement: Define and execute approaches to systematically improve model performance on scientific tasks, including long‑horizon reasoning and complex decision‑making.
• Domain Translation: Translate biological and chemical domain knowledge into machine learning objectives, training signals, and evaluation criteria, working closely with domain experts.
• Scalable Systems & Engineering: Architect and improve large‑scale distributed machine learning systems, ensuring robustness, efficiency, and reproducibility across training and evaluation workflows.
• Research‑to‑Production Impact: Partner with researchers and cross‑functional teams to move models from research prototypes to production‑ready systems that support active discovery programs.

As a Senior ML Scientist:

You are the primary driver of technical implementation for scientific reasoning, translating high‑level research goals into robust training code. You own the end‑to‑end integrity of large‑scale training runs, from data orchestration to the development of rigorous reasoning benchmarks. You act as a technical mentor to junior staff and interns, fostering a culture of engineering excellence and rapid experimentation.

Who You Are:

• PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field.
• Experience: 0 – 2+ years of industry or post‑doc experience with a focus on deep learning.
• LLM Expertise: Extensive experience developing and training large‑scale machine learning models, including approaches to improve domain understanding, reasoning capabilities, and model alignment.
• Publication Record: A strong history of research excellence at top‑tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML).
• Engineering: Strong software engineering skills and experience designing and operating large‑scale or high‑performance machine learning systems.
• Preferred Qualifications: Experience with molecular modalities (e.g., protein sequences, chemical graphs, and structured molecular data) is highly valued but not required.
• A public portfolio of research or significant contributions to open‑source ML libraries.
• A passion for applying frontier AI to drug discovery.

Onsite presence on our campus is expected in compliance with Roche/Genentech policy. Relocation benefits are not available for this job posting. The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of California is $168,100 - $312,300. 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 #ComputationCoE 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.

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.