Scientist, Machine Learning (Human Physiology)

Flagship Pioneering, Inc. • Cambridge, MA

7d • $136,000 - $211,750

About The Position

FL127 is seeking a scientist to connect the physiological signals measured by its platform to what those signals indicate about a person. The role grounds measurements in physiology, helps design human studies to test what they reflect, and builds models relating measurements to reference measures and outcomes in small human cohorts. The imaging and signal-extraction team produces the measurements; this scientist works from those outputs and co-designs studies with that team so each study addresses both measurement quality and interpretation.

FL127 describes itself as an AI-native company. Team members direct AI agents in work such as literature synthesis, study design, data analysis, and coding, and the successful candidate should want to work this way. The position offers early access to human study data, influence over which applications are studied and developed, collaboration with a small team of scientists and AI agents, and access to the scientific, operational, and capital resources of the Flagship Pioneering ecosystem.

Requirements

• PhD in biomedical engineering, physiology, bioengineering, biophotonics, or a related field, or an MD/PhD, with substantial applied machine learning experience.
• Deep knowledge of human physiology in an area such as microcirculation, hemodynamics, tissue optics, skin biology, or cardiorespiratory physiology.
• Experience taking a measurement or digital biomarker through human studies, including endpoint selection, reference measurements, IRB-governed protocols, and agreement analysis.
• Experience with statistical modeling on small human datasets, including within-subject and longitudinal designs.
• Proficiency in Python and the modern ML stack, and comfort working inside an existing research codebase.
• Imaging and signal-processing background sufficient to reason about how calibration, registration, and sampling affect a derived measurement.
• Ability to work independently in an early-stage, ambiguous environment and make decisions with incomplete data.
• Willingness to direct AI agents in daily work such as literature synthesis, study design, data analysis, and coding.

Nice To Haves

• Published or applied work in remote physiological sensing, digital biomarkers, or wearable or contactless measurement.
• Experience turning research results into a product feature, ideally at a consumer device company.
• Familiarity with skin optics models, including Monte Carlo simulation, diffusion theory, or chromophore decomposition.
• Experience modeling individual baselines and change over time.
• Experience in a venture-backed startup or early-stage research environment.

Responsibilities

• Ground each measured signal in physiology, including what it reflects, what confounds it, and which physiological states it may indicate.
• Work with the product and market team to prioritize applications for study, weighing scientific plausibility, study cost, and user value.
• Co-design human studies with the imaging team, including endpoints, reference measurements, and protocols.
• Build and evaluate models relating measurements to reference measures and outcomes in small cohorts, accounting for confounders, leakage, demographic stratification, and sample size.
• Set the evidence standard a finding must meet before it shapes the product, and report what the data supports and where it falls short.
• Review extracted signals for physiological plausibility and suggest improvements to the measurement pipeline.

Benefits

• Healthcare coverage.
• Annual incentive program.
• Retirement benefits.
• A broad range of other benefits.
• Access to the scientific, operational, and capital resources of the Flagship Pioneering ecosystem.

What This Job Offers

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