Job Specifications
Principal AI Engineer
About Us
Synthesize Bio is an early stage startup using generative AI to fundamentally change life sciences research and accelerate the pace of biomedical discovery.
Genomic data are at the heart of most modern molecular studies and tools, from basic research to clinical decision support, but these data are hard to work with. Genomic data require expensive laboratories, sophisticated computational infrastructure, and big teams to produce and analyze. Generating and analyzing genomic data takes weeks or months. We’re building generative AI models to cut that time down to minutes or hours.
Our platform addresses a huge need in the large and rapidly growing use of genomics in research, from basic science to therapeutic development. mRNA therapeutics alone - a subset of the overall market we serve - is projected to be a $100 billion market by 2026. This is an opportunity to be part of a mission to transform life sciences R&D by dramatically accelerating the pace of discovery.
Who We Are
Our team has dedicated their careers to moving the needle in biomedical research and education and has a deep understanding of how to build a transformative product in this space. Our founders each have ~20 years of experience in life sciences, genomic data generation and analysis, and AI/ML and data science. Our team has leading experts in the design, execution, collection, and application of AI/ML methods to large biological studies; has previously led and scaled startups; and are experts in scientific training and enablement. We have lived the problem and are ready to solve it!
What You’ll Do In This Role
We are looking for a Principal AI Researcher who wants to join our mission and be an early part of building our AI-powered platform at the intersection of machine learning and life sciences discovery.
Your Key Goals In This Role Are To
Lead the technical execution of key generative AI research projects.
Develop, train, and deploy foundational generative models for experimental biology data into production.
Help shape the AI/ML program's long-term technical vision.
Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior team members, including on other technical teams (e.g. software devs and computational biologists)
You will be a key player on the AI team and:
Lead innovative efforts in applying recent developments in the AI/ML literature to develop models that accelerate drug development.
Successfully build and deploy generative foundation models for experimental biology
Actively contribute to technical vision and roadmap development.
Set technical standards for model training, MLOps, and deployment in the cloud.
Proactively collaborate with other teams to integrate AI models into the broader platform.
Qualifications
The Principal AI Researcher is a senior role on our team and is a good fit for candidates who are eager to apply their experience as both an individual contributor and as a technical leader who guides more junior team members, including those on other teams.
Tech Skills
Experience with developing AI/ML models to advance drug development or clinical research.
Knowledge of NGS data (pre-clinical genomic or transcriptomic) or proteomic data
Experience training AI/ML models with AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
Development experience with PyTorch, Tensorflow, JAX, or similar
Knowledge of key MLOps, including model training, hosted inference options, and batch/stream processing
Experience deploying AI/ML models in production environments
Experience
Proven track record of successfully developing AI/ML models in a relevant domain (e.g. biomedicine, life science, healthcare)
Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects, implement state-of-the-art research (e.g., generative models/diffusion/transformers), and deliver measurable results in a technically rigorous environment
Experience contributing to the technical vision and roadmap of an AI product or platform
Experience publishing in the AI/ML literature and implementing/developing new methodology based on research ideas
APPROACH
Focused on innovation and development rooted in practical applications
Open-minded and adaptable; willingness and ability to change focus and direction quickly in response to product/market demands
Comfortable working in close collaboration with the team and independently
Strong communication and desire to be a key player on a small, devoted team
Preference If You Also Have
Experience fine-tuning and prompting Large Language Models.
Experience managing model experimentation, development, and evaluation.
Building models that are relevant to highly technical scientific domains.
Understanding of or interest in computational genomics and applications of AI to biology.
The best candidates do not always match the job description completely. If you do not meet all the required qualifications, are excited about our vision, and feel that you could be a valuable asset to our team, please apply an