Machine Learning Scientist I / II, Protein Design

About this role

LILA Sciences seeks a Machine Learning Scientist to develop AI models for protein engineering, transforming individual design campaigns into generalizable systems that accelerate drug discovery. You'll partner with domain scientists to create molecular designs, build evaluation infrastructure, and optimize workflows across therapeutic protein programs.

What you'll do

• Design molecules for active biologics programs by translating scientific targets into ML-driven design hypotheses
• Develop reasoning and orchestration capabilities for multi-step drug discovery workflows
• Create and maintain benchmarks and evaluation infrastructure to measure design workflow effectiveness
• Optimize reproducibility, throughput, and inference costs of computational design systems
• Collaborate with domain scientists to translate experimental prioritization into ML objectives and metrics

What they're looking for

• Machine learning and deep learning model development
• Protein sequence, structure, and function expertise
• Evaluation methodology and benchmark design
• Software engineering and system design
• Cross-functional communication and collaboration
• ML workflow orchestration or reasoning systems (bonus)
• Distributed training and GPU efficiency optimization (bonus)
• Therapeutic protein design experience (antibodies, enzymes, peptides)

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance
• Flexible time off with generous holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Educational assistance program
• Company-subsidized lunch and commuter benefits