President, Virtual Cell Models Program, Science

Chan Zuckerberg • Redwood City, CA

284d • $794,000 - $1,270,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 to help solve some of society's toughest challenges - from eradicating disease and improving education to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. CZI supports the science and technology that will make it possible to help scientists cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. Our vision is to build the future of science by leveraging advances in AI alongside biomedical research. Achieving our mission will only be possible if scientists are able to better understand human biology. To that end, we have identified four grand challenges that will unlock the mysteries of the cell and how cells interact within systems - paving the way for new discoveries that will change medicine in the decades that follow. This leadership opportunity offers a chance to lead CZI's ambitious effort to transform cell biology - shifting from 90% experimental and 10% computational work to the reverse ratio over the next decade. As initiative leader, you will guide the development of AI-driven virtual cell models that predict and generate novel cell states, leveraging CZI's significant investment in computational infrastructure (including a 1000 H100 GPU cluster) and unparalleled biological datasets.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Computational Biology, or a related field with 20+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated background in AI/ML approaches to biological data analysis.
• Significant scientific leadership experience overseeing cross-functional technical teams.
• Proven track record of success in recruiting world-class talent and managing large teams.
• Deep expertise in modern deep learning architectures for multimodal data generation.
• Comprehensive understanding of cellular biology and experience with complex biological datasets.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Background in developing foundation models or large language models.
• Track record of research publications and patents.
• Experience with high-performance computing, distributed systems, and cloud-based infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Direct the overall scientific vision and strategy for the Virtual Cell Models program.
• Build, lead and manage a major initiative within CZI, including recruiting and inspiring world-class scientists and engineers.
• Maintain scientific excellence across all data types and computational approaches used in this initiative.
• Ensure integration of diverse biological data into cohesive, multi-scale models that advance understanding of cells and their function.
• Develop clear roadmaps and timely plans for resource allocation, prioritization, and strategic direction.
• Foster innovation and collaboration across experimental and computational domains.
• Skillfully manage collaborations across multiple institutions.
• Effectively leverage CZI's compute infrastructure to maximize scientific discovery.
• Guide the organization's data generation requirements, standards, and quality control processes.
• Drive and coordinate projects between experimental and computational teams.
• Report progress against concrete milestones and deliverables to the broader organization.

Benefits

• Generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions.
• Annual benefit for employees that can be used for housing, student loan repayment, childcare, etc.
• CZI Life of Service Gifts awarded to employees to support causes they care about.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice.
• Funding for select family-forming benefits.
• Relocation support for employees moving to the Bay Area.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Industry: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees