Research Scientist - Multimodal Large Language Models (LLMs)

The Opportunity

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (CZ Biohub SF) is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Research Scientist to lead the development of state-of-the-art multimodal large language model (LLM) agents that will enable breakthrough research and discoveries in biology. We are interested in pursuing these new ideas for zebrafish, a powerful model organism, to understand mechanisms of infection and immunity, organ regeneration, and organismal development.  The ideal candidate will have established expertise in machine learning, generative AI, development of multimodal LLMs, and reinforcement learning for model tuning. The successful candidate will report directly to both Yasin Şenbabaoğlu (Director of Computational Biology) and Loïc A. Royer (Director of Imaging AI) at CZ Biohub, San Francisco.

You will

• Design, develop, and implement multimodal LLMs that integrate textual, multi-omic, and image data
• Lead the research and development of novel algorithms to process and align scientific literature with biological datasets for downstream analysis
• Collaborate closely with computational biologists and experimental scientists to understand domain-specific challenges and optimize model performance
• Manage large-scale datasets (scientific texts, omics data, and imaging) and build efficient data pipelines for training and evaluation
• Drive innovative research to publish in top-tier AI and computational biology journals and present at conferences
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning

You have

Required –

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics or a related field; or Masters with equivalent experience
• 3+ years of experience with Python and relevant deep learning libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow)
• 3+ years of experience in designing and deploying large-scale language models or multimodal AI systems
• Expertise in natural language processing (NLP), deep learning, and model training techniques
• Proven track record of impactful publications and conference presentations in relevant areas
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment
• Strong professional judgment and problem-solving abilities that adapt to a variety of situations
• Strong interpersonal skills with excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice to have -

• Experience in integrating and aligning heterogeneous data sources (text, omics, images) for AI-driven applications
• Familiarity with scientific literature databases (e.g., PubMed, arXiv) and bioinformatics tools
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) environments and cloud-based AI platforms
• Strong leadership and project management skills

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network requires all employees, regardless of work location or type of role, to provide proof of their initial COVID-19 vaccination by their start date. Those who are unable to get vaccinated because of a disability, or who choose not to be vaccinated due to a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance must have an approved exception prior to their start date.

Compensation

• Research Scientist I = $131,000 - $180,400
• Research Scientist II = $150,000 - $205,700

New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate’s skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range during the hiring process.