What are the responsibilities and job description for the President, Virtual Cell Models Program, Science position at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative?
in accelerating science.
The Opportunity
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. You'll devise and execute strategies to build generative AI models that learn the "accessible space" and predict cell types, structure, function, and dynamics—all while maintaining rigorous experimental validation and addressing biologically relevant questions that currently defy available methodologies.
The leader will coordinate across multiple domains, from genomics to proteomics, integrating static and dynamic cellular data, establishing robust data standards, and fostering collaboration between computational and experimental teams. This position offers a rare opportunity to establish a new paradigm in biological research that will dramatically accelerate both our fundamental understanding of biology and the development of novel cell therapies, while ensuring these powerful tools remain accessible to the broader scientific community and our family of institutes as we make progress towards achieving our goals as a science philanthropy.
The President of the Virtual Cell Models program will join our Science Leadership team, reporting to our Head of Science.
What You'll Do
Leadership & Vision
- Direct the overall scientific vision and strategy for the Virtual Cell Models program, including key decisions about key biological questions, model organisms, cell types, and the systems our organization will prioritize
- Build, lead and manage a major initiative within CZI, including recruiting and inspiring world-class scientists and engineers, organizing this initiative for optimal success, and driving teams to execute on multiple complex projects, often on accelerated timeframes
- Maintain scientific excellence across all data types and computational approaches used in this initiativeEnsure integration of diverse biological data into cohesive, multi-scale models that advance understanding of cells and their functionDevelop clear roadmaps and timely plans for resource allocation, prioritization, and our strategic direction for building virtual cell modelsFoster innovation and collaboration across experimental and computational domains internally at CZI’s institutes and externally with the science community
- Skillfully manage collaborations across multiple institutions, balancing immediate deliverables with long-term ambitious goals
- Effectively leverage CZI’s compute infrastructure including a 1000 H100 GPU cluster to maximize scientific discovery and lead the development computationally driven biological research
AI / ML × BIO Imperatives
Strategic Accountability
What You'll Bring
Compensation
The Redwood City, CA base pay range for this role is $794,000 - $1,270,000. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process.
Include for Remote Exceptions] Pay ranges outside Redwood City are adjusted based on cost of labor in each respective geographical market. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your location during the hiring process.
Benefits for the Whole You
We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible.
If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.
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