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.

The Team

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:

  • Building an AI-based virtual cell model to predict and understand cellular behavior
  • Developing state-of-the-art imaging systems to observe living cells in action
  • Instrumenting tissues to better understand inflammation, a key driver of many diseases
  • Engineering and harnessing the immune system for early detection, prevention, and treatment of disease

CZI’s work in science includes grantmaking programs, open-source software development, and close collaboration with the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network. The CZ Biohub Network includes the San Francisco, Chicago, and New York Biohubs as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute. CZI also collaborates with institutional partners like the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural & Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University. Join us 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 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 our strategic direction for building virtual cell models
  • Foster 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

  • Guide the organization’s data generation requirements, standards, and quality control processes in collaboration with cross-functional teams
  • Effectively drive and coordinate projects between experimental and computational teams
  • Drive the organization’s approach to building, buying, and/or partnering with external collaborators  to develop critical technologies 
  • Report progress against concrete milestones and deliverables to the broader organization, including the senior leadership team

Strategic Accountability

  • Serve as the intellectual owner of the initiative's direction and priorities
  • Create the vision for how the Virtual Cell will transform biological research
  • Build and maintain CZI's competitive differentiation and industry-leading position, and ensure its outputs advance understanding of human disease 
  • Skillfully communicate CZI’s work and advancements externally as a public-facing spokesperson for the work
  • Identify and develop strategic partnerships when beneficial
  • Maintain a sharp focus on applications  and opportunities to advance understanding of human disease

What You'll Bring

  • 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, including a deep understanding of diverse experimental methodologies across genomics, proteomics, and cell biology
  • Significant scientific leadership experience overseeing cross-functional technical teams in academia and/or industry and facilitating strategic collaborations with partners in the field
  • Proven track record of success in recruiting world-class talent, managing large teams and budgets efficiently and effectively, and delivering large-scale ML projects in computational biology or healthcare on time and within budget
  • Deep expertise in modern deep learning architectures, particularly for multimodal data generation, integration, and standards, as well as biological sequence modeling
  • Comprehensive understanding of cellular biology and experience working with complex biological datasets such as single-cell technologies and imaging analysis
  • Exceptional  communication, presentation, and interpersonal  skills with the ability to inspire internal teams, collaborate, engage, and influence  diverse stakeholders, and communicate
  • Background in developing foundation models or large language models
  • Track record of impactful research publications and patents
  • Experience with high-performance computing, distributed systems, and cloud-based infrastructure 

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. 

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. 

  • CZI provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
  • Annual benefit for employees that can be used most meaningfully for them and their families, such as housing, student loan repayment, childcare, commuter costs, or other life needs.
  • CZI Life of Service Gifts are awarded to employees to “live the mission” and support the causes closest to them.
  • Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice. 
  • Funding for select family-forming benefits. 
  • Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving to the Bay Area
  • And more!

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.

Explore our work modes, benefits, and interview process at www.chanzuckerberg.com/careers.

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