RESEARCH PROGRAMMER III - C. Wu Lab

ABOUT US:

Scripps Research is a nonprofit biomedical institute ranked as one of the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation. We celebrated our 100-year legacy in 2024. This significant milestone marks a century of seminal discoveries in immunology, infectious diseases (such as COVID-19, flu, HIV), neuroscience, heart disease, cancer, and more. Located in La Jolla, California, the institute houses six research departments, multiple Nobel laureates, a top-ranked graduate school and a leading postdoctoral training program. Scripps Research encompasses two elite and highly innovative institutes, the Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines and Scripps Research Translational Institute, which merge foundational studies in biology, chemistry and computer science with translational science to produce pioneering drugs and advances in digital and precision medicine. Together, we cultivate new scientific leaders and expand the frontiers of knowledge to deliver medical breakthroughs impacting human health around the globe. If you have a passion for making a difference, this could be your opportunity to join our transformative team.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The hiring laboratory is engaged in various projects aimed at constructing software infrastructure and tools for bioinformatics, genetics, and genomics research. There is a particular focus on building large-scale data integration infrastructure and community platforms facilitating collaboration and crowdsourcing. Representative projects include the BioThings SDK for building APIs (biothings.io), and a set of APIs we actively maintain, such as MyGene.info, MyVariant.info, MyChem.info etc. The research team comprises a mix of software engineers and scientists, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff, with geographical and demographic diversity. An inclusive work environment is actively fostered.

This position encompasses any aspect of software engineering, such as developing front-end interfaces for data discovery and analysis, backend systems for efficient biomedical data access, and DevOps for software infrastructure deployment and maintenance.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience. A degree in a biological or chemical science may be accepted if accompanied with programming education, training, and/or experience.


• Minimum of 4 years experience in software application development and research programming.


• Experience with building or consuming web service APIs for data integration.


• Proficiency in Python or JavaScript for software development.


• Demonstrated ability to apply software application development fundamentals.


• Experience with version control, including git and GitHub.


• Code samples and/or a link to a public code repository demonstrating work examples are required.

PREFERRED SKILLSET:

Prior experience with the one or more of the following is preferred:

• Familiarity with biomedical research and methodology, especially genetics and genomics. 


• Experience developing scalable system architectures that adhere to good software engineering principles


• Ability to tackle, open-ended research questions independently and as part of a team


• Bioinformatics or computational biology experience


• Experience working within a diverse, interdisciplinary team. 


• Experience contributing to open-source software projects. 


• Large scale data processing experience (~millions to billions of data records).


• Experience in LLM-based coding agents.

In addition, for applicants focusing on front-end development:

• JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue.js, Angular, or similar), HTML5, CSS3, SASS/SCSS/LESS, TypeScript 


• Developing tools to share, visualize, and analyze biomedical data


• Data visualization principles and methodology, and a portfolio of projects applying these principles to create web-based static and interactive visualizations using libraries like D3.js or Vega 


• User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design 


• Cloud-based deployment 

For applicants focusing on backend development or DevOps roles:

• Elasticsearch


• MongoDB


• Postgres


• Nginx


• Linux server (Ubuntu Server) administration


• Amazon Web Services setup and management


• Automated deployment


• Docker/Docker-compose, and automated CI/CD workflow setup


• Ansible​

LOCATION: La Jolla, California, or Remote Employment within the United States. In rare circumstances, candidates outside the United States maybe be considered.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS : This position works in an office environment. Further details of the physical requirements of established essential functions for this position will be addressed/discussed during the interview process.

COMPENSATION:

The expected hiring range for this position is $71,000 to $88,750 per year, commensurate with experience. Consideration will be given to experience that exceeds the listed requirements.

COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Eligibility for retirement plans with employer contribution.


• Full suite of Health and Welfare plans including three medical plan options (including an HSA available option), dental, vision, life insurance, disability, EAP and more.


• Access to Flexible Spending Accounts (Medical/Dependent Care).


• Remote/Hybrid/Flexible work schedules (Dependent on role).


• Competitive vacation and sick leave policies.


• Free, on-site Counseling Center which provides confidential counseling services to benefits-eligible employees and their family members.


• Free, on-site parking. 

The above statements describe the level of work performed and expected in general terms. The statements are not intended to list all the responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of employees so classified, and the content herein is subject to change due to the business needs of Scripps Research, with or without notice. Furthermore, nothing in this job description shall be interpreted to be in conflict with or to eliminate or modify in any way the employment-at-will status of Scripps Research staff.

EEO STATEMENT:

The Scripps Research Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote diversity of thought, culture and background in the fields of science. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.