Data Scientist, Imaging

Who We Are:

Calico (Calico Life Sciences LLC) is an Alphabet-founded research and development company whose mission is to harness advanced technologies and model systems to increase our understanding of the biology that controls human aging. Calico will use that knowledge to devise interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives. Calico’s highly innovative technology labs, its commitment to curiosity-driven discovery science, and, with academic and industry partners, its vibrant drug-development pipeline, together create an inspiring and exciting place to catalyze and enable medical breakthroughs.

Position Description:

We are seeking a highly motivated Imaging Data Scientist to join our Technology Data Science team, dedicated to creating new technologies to unravel the complexities of aging and age-related diseases. You will play a crucial role in processing and analyzing complex microscopy datasets, as well as contributing to groundbreaking research that integrates imaging data with other high-dimensional datasets like genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with interdisciplinary teams of research scientists, data scientists, and software engineers. Your expertise will help advance our understanding of biological processes involved in aging by developing innovative computational tools and workflows. This position offers the opportunity to impact research projects from hypothesis generation to data interpretation, driving scientific discoveries in a collaborative environment.

Position Responsibilities:

Data Analysis and Interpretation

• Extract quantitative information from diverse microscopy datasets, including fluorescence microscopy (2D to 5D), light-sheet microscopy, histology images, and spatial transcriptomics data


• Address computational challenges by developing efficient processing pipelines, utilizing GPU acceleration when necessary

Collaborative Research

• Advise research scientists on experimental design and data acquisition strategies for imaging-based studies


• Integrate imaging data with other modalities (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) in collaboration with data scientists


• Communicate analytical results effectively to team members with varying technical backgrounds

Tool Development

• Develop interactive visualization and data exploration tools to enable easy querying and interpretation of imaging data by collaborators


• Work with software engineers to create reproducible workflows and improve data management practices

Project Management

• Proactively engage in early-stage project development to anticipate and plan for data analysis needs


• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing established methodologies with the development of novel computational solutions


• Rapidly prototype and evaluate tools and algorithms to identify the most effective approaches for specific research tasks

Position Requirements:

• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field


• Proficiency in Python programming and experience with libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, pandas, and scikit-image


• Demonstrated experience in microscopy data analysis and image processing techniques


• Strong problem-solving skills and a track record of developing computational tools or methods


• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information to non-technical audiences


• Proven ability to work proactively and independently within a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment


• Exceptional time management and organizational skills


• Must be willing to work onsite at least 4 days a week

Nice to Have:

• Experience with machine learning, especially deep-learning techniques, as it applies to imaging data, along with experience with PyTorch/TensorFlow/JAX libraries


• Experience integrating imaging data with other data modalities such as genomics, proteomics, or metabolomics


• Experience with handling large-scale datasets, including terabyte-sized imaging data


• Experience with GPU-accelerated computing for data processing


• Familiarity with version control

The estimated base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $129,000. Actual pay will be based on a number of factors including experience and qualifications. This position is also eligible for two annual cash bonuses.