Machine Learning Scientist I/II, Biomolecule Design

Your Impact at Lila

As a Research Scientist on the Biomolecule Design effort in AI Research team, you will be responsible for building the next generation of biological models that will be foundational to Lila’s autonomous discovery loop. You’ll work closely with researchers and engineers to train, test, and deploy models for experimentation. Your work will directly support advances in scientific models, reinforcement learning, and agentic AI capabilities.

What You’ll Be Building

• Pursue a research agenda to improve state-of-the-art models for biomolecule (DNA, RNA, and proteins) design.
• Scientific reinforcement learning environments to improve model performance.
• Autonomous pipelines that integrate experimental feedback with in silico predictions.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• PhD or equivalent research experience in ML models for biological domains.
• Experience with training and using state-of-the-art biomolecule design models (AlphaFold, Evo2, ESM, etc).
• Experience designing and running experiments to improve model performance
• Strong coding skills and ML framework(PyTorch, JAX, etc) expertise.
• Are passionate about the impact of AI for science.

Bonus Points For

• Publications in ML for biology at top research venues.
• Experience with building design-build-test loops (DBTL) for biomolecular design
• Experience with distributed systems or high-performance computing
• Experience with large language models or reinforcement learning.

Location

San Francisco, CA or Cambridge, MA (Hybrid and On-Site available depending on team needs).

About Lila

Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science.  We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method.  We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more about this mission at  www.lila.ai

If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation

We expect the base salary for this role to fall between $176,000-$304,000 USD per year, along with bonus potential and generous early equity. The final offer will reflect your unique background, expertise, and impact.

We’re All In

Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.