Machine learning scientist

Biotech is on the verge of a revolution. Breakthroughs such as the advent of CRISPR and systems for fast and efficient multi-omic sequencing in combination with structural advances in machine learning are unleashing the ability to interrogate human biology in unprecedented ways. A key initial goal of Meliora Therapeutics’ computational engine is to develop a robust, multi-modal MOA atlas for cancer drugs. This atlas will consist of 21st century phenotypic “molecular fingerprints” of different mechanisms of action, and will serve as a reference library that can be used to characterize new molecules of interest. Our platform has already surfaced a number of interesting candidate drugs with promising laboratory validation and we are looking for world class talent to expand and deepen the capabilities of this advanced computational engine using the latest ML approaches, making an impact on cancer in the process.

The founding team includes CEO David Li (1st business hire at Benchling, GS, KKR, Penn Life Sciences and Management), Dr. Jason Sheltzer (Faculty at Yale School of Medicine, Presidential Early Career Award, Forbes 30u30), Joan Smith (Sr. Staff engineer at Google, MIT Physics), and Zach Owen (Data Scientist Tech Lead at Verily, previous ML startup technical co-founder, MIT PhD). We are backed by leading funds including BrightEdge, VillageGlobal, HOF Capital, Obvious and others.

Machine learning team members will play an important role in developing the core algorithmic engine of a next-generation biotechnology company, and so we are looking for people who delight in being multi-disciplinary, seek excellence at every turn, and have an unyielding desire to continuously learn and share knowledge. If this sounds like you, we would love to speak with you.

What you’ll do:

• Bring your computational skills to bear on a critical problem in cancer treatment that results in 97% of cancer drugs failing their clinical trials
• Propose, develop, and validate novel, machine learning-driven methods of associating drugs and their properties with their true mechanism of action in cancer cells
• Advance the state-of-the-art in machine learning for biology by synthesizing techniques from disparate disciplines
• Contribute to publication efforts supporting Meliora's status as a leader in applied machine learning in cancer drug development
• Grow and learn. Deep expertise in genomics or cheminformatics isn’t necessary to start with, but you will need to be comfortable building an extensive cross-disciplinary background as we go.
• Be a culture-setter by embodying the company’s principles of truth-seeking, mutual respect, integrity, drive, and teamwork

Background and skills we are looking for:

• PhD-level expertise in applied machine learning developed either through a formal degree or meaningful experience in performing similar work
• Mastery of the fundamentals of machine learning science including broad capability in probability, statistics, machine learning, and programming
• Expertise in one or more areas of advanced machine learning, for example: graph neural networks, deep unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, recommendation systems, causal inference, Bayesian global optimization, natural language processing, computer vision
• Practical experience applying these techniques to analyze and gain insight from interesting datasets with libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Jax
• Experience in solving deep technical challenges by developing and validating novel methodologies
• Excellent communication skills to synthesize complex data problems and solutions into content easily understandable by the scientific and leadership teams to facilitate critical decisions
• Ability to be highly successful operating in a multidisciplinary environment and a willingness to collaborate across functional teams is essential

Bonus: experience working with *omics datasets, and working knowledge of CRISPR and cancer biology

What we offer:

• Highly competitive compensation with equity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Remote work
• The opportunity to have your career grow along with our company
• Work focused on developing cutting-edge technical methodologies to directly create meaningful positive impact on human health
• The freedom to develop your own methodologies and approaches in collaboration with our team to solve our most important challenges
• The opportunity to work with a world-class interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning numerous fields in biology, computer science, and machine learning. We learn from each other everyday and we’re excited to continue learning as we grow!
• Quarterly US based travel for on-site retreats