Computational Scientist

Role: Computational Scientist II Location: 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080 Duration: 12-Month Contract (potential for extension or conversion to full-time) Pay Rate: $39.03 – $47.23/hour + Benefits Benefits: Weekly Pay, Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance About the Opportunity We are seeking a Computational Scientist II to design, develop, and deploy AI-driven systems that support scientific innovation. This role sits at the intersection of AI engineering and quantitative pharmacology and will partner closely with Modeling & Simulation Scientists and Clinical Pharmacologists to create scalable, reliable, and scientifically rigorous tools. This work will directly contribute to accelerating drug development while enabling scientists to focus on higher-value research and decision-making. Key Responsibilities Build & Deploy Agentic LLM Workflows • Design and implement LLM-powered agent frameworks that automate and enhance scientific workflows within the CPP organization. • Develop human-in-the-loop systems enabling effective collaboration between scientists and AI tools through natural language interaction, feedback cycles, and structured outputs. • Integrate scientific references, templates, internal guidelines, and domain-specific context into AI workflows to maintain scientific and regulatory alignment. • Develop reusable workflow components and production-ready libraries with strong documentation and accessibility for users with varying technical backgrounds. Develop Quality & Evaluation Frameworks • Build automated quality control processes to assess LLM-generated outputs for scientific accuracy, structure, and consistency. • Create evaluation frameworks to monitor output quality, efficiency improvements, and identify areas for optimization. • Maintain version-controlled evaluation logs and support reporting efforts for continuous improvement and stakeholder communication. Collaborate & Drive Innovation • Partner with pharmacometricians, data scientists, and automation engineers to translate scientific needs into scalable AI solutions. • Stay current with emerging LLM technologies, agentic systems, and AI applications across pharmaceutical R&D. • Contribute to broader AI adoption initiatives by sharing best practices, lessons learned, and conducting trainings. Qualifications Education • Master’s or PhD in a quantitative or computational discipline such as: • Computer Science • Data Science • Bioinformatics • Computational Biology • Pharmaceutical Sciences • Related field • OR • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant industry experience. Domain Experience • Experience or familiarity with pharmaceutical R&D, drug development, or clinical development environments is strongly preferred. • Exposure to quantitative sciences, life sciences research, or applying AI in scientific environments is highly valued. Software Engineering & AI Expertise • Strong software engineering fundamentals and experience with: • Git/version control • Code reviews • Documentation standards • Collaborative development environments • Comfortable working with structured and unstructured data and learning new frameworks quickly. • Experience with AI/LLM solutions is highly preferred, including: • Agentic frameworks (e.g., LangSmith) • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) • LLM workflow development • Harness engineering • Guardrail implementation • LLM API integration • Exposure to cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure is a plus. • Portfolio of relevant projects preferred. Preferred Working Style • Strong communicator with the ability to bridge technical and scientific teams. • Self-driven and comfortable operating in evolving, ambiguous environments. • Curious, innovative, and motivated by applying AI to solve meaningful scientific challenges.