Research Scientist, AI/ML (Biohub Chicago)

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago (https://www.czbiohub.org/chi) is an independent nonprofit research institute that brings together three powerhouse universities - Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - into a single collaborative technology and discovery engine. CZ Biohub itself supports some of the brightest, boldest engineers, data scientists, and biomedical researchers to make breakthroughs in medicine and develop new technologies, frequently in collaboration with our partner universities. We are guided by our values of scholarly excellence; disruptive innovation; hands-on engineering/hacking/building; partnership and collaboration; open communication and respect; inclusiveness; and opportunity for all.

Our Vision

• We pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• We enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• The technologies developed at CZ Biohub Chicago facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

Diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives are at the heart of CZ Biohub Network and enable disruptive innovation and scholarly excellence. We are committed to cultivating an organization where all colleagues feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution.

The Opportunity

CZ Biohub Chicago is seeking an accomplished Research Scientist to join our interdisciplinary AI/ML team. This role requires experience in research settings, and a proven ability to design, evaluate, and publish innovative computational methodologies that leverage machine learning, statistics, and AI to advance biological research and discovery. You will have access to one of the largest AI clusters used for non-profit research (1000x H100). The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of accomplishments and a dedication to collaborative work within a highly interdisciplinary environment. This role will be based at the CZ Biohub Chicago.

What You'll Do

• Contribute to a dynamic, innovative, and collaborative program that aligns with the mission of CZ Biohub Chicago
• Develop and evaluate cutting-edge computational and AI/ML methodologies.
• Collaborate within an interdisciplinary research environment
• Engage with colleagues throughout the Biohub to uphold our values of scholarly excellence, innovation, open communication, hands-on hacking, and partnership
• Communicate progress and results with colleagues inside and outside of your team
• Publish and disseminate impactful findings through preprints (medRxiv, bioRxiv) and/or software repositories (e.g., GitHub)
• Work with the CZ Biohub team to patent and license technologies resulting from your research

You have 

Essential -

• PhD in Computational Biology, AI / Machine learning, Applied Statistics, or relevant field
• 1-2 years of post-doctoral and/or industry experience demonstrating the ability to implement, evaluate, and create new computational methodologies that leverage machine learning, statistics, and AI for biological research and discovery
• Working knowledge in building and evaluating machine learning and/or neural network models on biological data, with a deep understanding of feature selection, regularization, model introspection, and interpretability
• Working knowledge working with large-scale compute/cluster infrastructure
• Proficiency in using and modifying probabilistic learning or deep learning models such as Transformers, GNNs, protein sequence models, or natural language processing models
• Strong background in statistics, statistical learning, computational biology or mathematics
• Proven track record of innovation, and ability to work collaboratively
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills

Nice to have - 

• Experience with DNA and protein foundation models
• Experience with single cell multiomics, including scRNA-seq, scATAC-seq and and CITE-seq
• Background in data curation and management for large-scale genomic datasets

Compensation

The Chicago, IL base pay range for this role is Research Scientist $111,000.00 - $156,200.00 and Research Scientist II $128,000.00 - $179,300.00. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. 

What We Provide 

• Resources to disrupt and innovate at the frontiers of our knowledge of biology and disease
• A collegial and collaborative environment consisting of diverse expertise
• Access to collaborators, resources and facilities at our three partner universities (Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and at partner organizations in Chicagoland and beyond
• Competitive compensation and benefits commensurate with the experience

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

Benefits

We offer a robust benefits program that enables the important work Biohubbers do everyday. Our benefits include healthcare coverage, life and disability insurance, commuter subsidies, family planning services with fertility care, childcare stipend, 401(k) match, flexible time off and a generous parental leave policy. In addition, we honor our commitment to career development and our value of scholarly excellence through regular onsite opportunities to learn from the world's leading scientists.

The CZ Biohub Network is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity of thought, ideas and perspectives. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive organization where all Biohubbers feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit resumes/CVs through this website or directly to managers. The CZ Biohub Network does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency resumes. The CZ Biohub Network will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with the CZ Biohub Network.