Postdoctoral Fellow - AI for Drug Discovery, Frontier Research

Genentech • Daly City, CA

9d • $110,000 - $120,000

About The Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Genentech.
We are looking for a postdoctoral fellow to join the AI for Drug Discovery department of the Genentech Computational Sciences Center of Excellence (CS CoE). This position is based in Frontier Research, a specialized unit dedicated to foundational machine learning research and the development of new algorithmic frameworks.
The postdoctoral position focuses on developing scalable methods for sequential experimental design in modern machine learning systems, with applications to hyperparameter optimization, model selection, and compute-aware adaptation. The project will combine theoretical and algorithmic ideas from Bayesian optimization, meta learning, and multi-fidelity learning to build decision procedures that can exploit partial or intermediate observations and improve with accumulated experience across tasks. The broader aim is to make experimentation with large models more principled, sample-efficient, and reliable.
The Opportunity:
Develop new theory and algorithms at the intersection of sequential decision making, experimental design, and large-scale machine learning
Translate theoretical ideas into practical algorithms motivated by challenges in training, adapting, and deploying large models, particularly for scientific discovery
Build and release research artifacts, including open-source code, benchmark suites, and model weights
Collaborate with colleagues working on foundation models and agents for drug discovery to ground methods in key scientific applications
Publish in leading machine learning conferences or journals
About Genentech’s Postdoctoral Program:
Elevate your research career to new heights with Genentech’s Postdoctoral Program! Join a prestigious community of early career scientists and kick-start your journey toward becoming a scientific leader in biotechnology and bioengineering. With competitive salaries and fully funded research expenses, you can dedicate yourself to groundbreaking research that aligns with Genentech strategic ambitions.
The postdoc program is designed to empower recent Ph.D. graduates to conduct world-class research, publish in top-tier journals, and build a robust scientific network. By joining us, you will receive the mentorship and support necessary to develop into an independent scientist and leader. The Genentech Postdoc Program provides access to world-class seminars, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities. Apply now to Genentech’s Postdoctoral Program and unlock your full potential!

Requirements

• Ph.D. in computer science, statistics, physics, or related computational field
• Strong publication record and experience contributing to research communities, including journals and conferences in machine learning or statistics
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more relevant areas, such as Bayesian optimization, active learning, reinforcement learning, bandits, adaptive experimentation, control, and online optimization
• Independent, motivated, and highly collaborative, with interests in both the theory and practice of adaptive experimentation

Nice To Haves

• Experience with pretraining, post-training, or inference-time adaptation of foundation models such as large language models

Responsibilities

• Develop new theory and algorithms at the intersection of sequential decision making, experimental design, and large-scale machine learning
• Translate theoretical ideas into practical algorithms motivated by challenges in training, adapting, and deploying large models, particularly for scientific discovery
• Build and release research artifacts, including open-source code, benchmark suites, and model weights
• Collaborate with colleagues working on foundation models and agents for drug discovery to ground methods in key scientific applications
• Publish in leading machine learning conferences or journals

Benefits

• Relocation benefits are available for this job posting.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree