AI Scientist

Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147

Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account.

Please note: We are hiring multiple AI Scientists and are open to various levels of experience.

Intro: 

AI@HHMI: HHMI is investing $500 million over the next 10 years to support AI-driven projects and to embed AI systems throughout every stage of the scientific process in labs across HHMI. The AI initiative will be centered at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus. Janelia has been at the forefront of AI-driven research in biology for more than 15 years. Its forward-thinking structure, centralized funding, and collaborative culture make it ideally suited to take this bold leap forward. To learn more about the initiative, visit here.

About the Role: 

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scientist is an outstanding independent scientist who develops, implements, and executes innovative AI-based research projects in the pursuit of biological discoveries or the generation of new research tools. AI Scientists create, lead, or participate in research projects of highly variable scale, ranging from individual work to HHMI-wide strategic initiatives. The AI Scientist will work closely with scientists from across the broader HHMI community. They participate in, build, or supervise highly collaborative research teams consisting of other scientists, engineers, and technicians. We are hiring multiple AI Scientists and are open to various levels of experience.

What We Provide: 

• A competitive compensation package with comprehensive health and welfare benefits. In addition to the base salary described below, this position may also be eligible for incentive pay.

• Generous training and travel opportunities to workshops and conferences. 

• Access to state- of- the- art computational infrastructure and extended capabilities provided through assistance from Janelia’s Support teams and Project teams.

• A healthy work-life balance, with on-site childcare, free gyms, on-campus housing, vibrant social and dining spaces, and shuttle-bus service to Janelia from Washington, DC metro area! 

• Flexible work arrangements are available.

• Relocation assistance provided for non-local candidates who wish to transition to the Washington, DC, metro area.

What You'll Do: 

• Plan, initiate, and rigorously execute independent or collaborative AI-based research; may oversee personnel and budgets toward this goal. 

• Perform scientific duties on new and varied problems where only general objectives are stated.

• Explore and develop new methods, skills, and tools. Make research outputs available through peer-reviewed scientific publications, high-quality datasets, code, and applications.

• Collaborate with other scientists, engineers, and technicians across project teams.

• Initiate and be flexible to transfer between projects and groups as appropriate and participate in reviewing other projects and scientists and providing constructive feedback and guidance. 

• Perform advanced development work to obtain and maintain technical leadership in the field of AI. 

• Assist HHMI and Janelia leadership in planning and execution of program-wide initiatives; ensure coordination with related efforts or other projects and research areas. 

• Explore and develop new methods, skills, and tools. Make your research outputs available through peer-reviewed scientific publications, high-quality datasets, code, and applications. 

• Adhere to the highest academic, scientific, and ethical standards in all professional activities, including the responsible use of AI technologies. 

What You Bring: 

• Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related fields or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. 

• 5+ years of experience in an academic, industry, or government research position is required. 

• Demonstrated innovative research in the field of AI, evidenced by peer-reviewed publication in the proceedings of relevant conferences or journals, the contribution of code to high-quality open-source code repositories, and/or creation of high-quality applications. 

• Experience applying AI methods to interdisciplinary research, particularly in the biological sciences or related domains, is preferred. 

• Expertise in the field of machine learning with a full understanding of the underlying principles and concepts, including supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and probabilistic modeling. Recognized by others within and outside their institution as a leader in their area of expertise.

• Proficiency in AI/ML frameworks and tools such as PyTorch, JAX or similar.

• Strong programming and design skills in Python, Julia, C++, or Rust, with experience in developing and optimizing large-scale computational models. 

• Experience with big data technologies and high-performance computing environments 

• Familiarity with data science techniques, including data preprocessing, statistical analysis, and visualization. 

• Results oriented with excellent communication skills.

Please include a cover letter with your application.

Physical Requirements:

Remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods of time; reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s); dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example using a keyboard; communication skills using the spoken word; ability to see and hear within normal parameters; ability to move about workspace. The position requires mobility, including the ability to move materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet).

Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Please Note:

This job description sets forth the job’s principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however. Unless they begin with the word “may,” the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are “essential functions” of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Pay:

In addition to the base salary described below, this position may also be eligible for incentive pay.

AI Scientist I: 5+ years’ experience - $182,160.80 (minimum)- $227,701.00 (midpoint) - $296,011.30 (maximum) 

AI Scientist II: 10+ years’ experience - $213,564.00 (minimum) - $266,955.00 (midpoint) - $347,041.40 (maximum) 

AI Scientist III: 15+ years’ experience including program/project management experience - $245,145.60 (minimum) - $306,432.00 (midpoint) - $450,000.00 (maximum)   

Pay Type:

Annual

HHMI’s salary structure is developed based on relevant market data. HHMI considers a candidate’s education, previous experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity when making job offers. Typically, a new hire for this position in this location is compensated between the minimum and midpoint. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range during the recruitment process.  

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Compensation and Benefits

Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more. 

HHMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer