Staff Machine Learning and Bioinformatics Scientist (Multi-Cancer Early Detection)

Natera•San Carlos, CA

6h•$169,800 - $212,300

About The Position

Natera’s Research team is building tests that can detect many cancers from a single blood draw. We are looking for a Staff Machine Learning and Bioinformatics Scientist to help design the models at the heart of that effort. You’ll work with large-scale, multi-modal genomic datasets from clinical cohorts and partner closely with molecular biologists and clinical scientists. Your research will advance the state-of-the-art and you will drive new methods from prototype, through scalable implementation, toward clinical validation and, ultimately, to patients.

Requirements

PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Bioinformatics, or a related quantitative field with 6-12 years of experience post-PhD
Hands-on experience developing novel statistical / ML analysis methods applied to complex biological data
Proven track record of innovation and technical leadership in complex method development projects
Expertise in deep learning and multimodal foundation models
Proficient in Python and its scientific computing ecosystem
Scientific rigor throughout the R&D process, with eagerness to teach and learn new computational methods and biology
Excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach across teams

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with DNA methylation and other epigenomic data
Experience with cell-free DNA and liquid biopsy samples
Background in cancer genomics and diagnostics
Hands-on work with multimodal foundation models applied to biological data

Responsibilities

Lead the development of novel statistical and machine learning methods for cancer signal detection on multi-modal genomic data
Build interpretable, well-calibrated models, setting the standard for uncertainty estimation and reproducibility across the group
Prototype, test and productionize ML models using scalable infrastructure
Own key technical deliverables within larger projects and help shape the team’s research roadmap
Collaborate closely with molecular biologists and clinical experts on design and analysis of experiments and validation studies
Keep raising the bar through code and design reviews across projects
Translate complex results into clear stories for technical and non-technical audiences
Mentor junior scientists and champion a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and scientific excellence