Data Engineer - Training Pipelines & Inference

Location

Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147.

Build the data backbone for the next era of AI‑powered spatial biology. The Foundational Microscopy Image Analysis (MIA) project sits at the heart of AI@HHMI, aiming to create one of the world’s most comprehensive multimodal 3D/4D microscopy datasets and to power a vision foundation model that accelerates discovery across life sciences. We are seeking a skilled Data Engineer to drive scientific innovation through robust data infrastructure, model training, and inference systems.

• Design and implement scalable, robust data pipelines, model training, and inference pipelines for foundational microscopy datasets and vision foundation models.
• Deploy such pipelines on multi‑node GPU environments and make data and trained models publicly available.
• Stay up to date with scientific literature to understand data context and processing requirements.
• Document data provenance and transformation steps comprehensively.
• Apply statistical tools and programming languages (e.g., Python, R) to analyze large datasets, develop custom functions, and extract actionable insights through effective visualization.
• Establish and maintain data standards, formats, workflows, and documentation to ensure data quality, accessibility, and reproducibility across projects.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, potentially mentor junior engineers, and direct or assist in directing the work of others to meet project goals while advising stakeholders on data strategies and best practices.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field with 3+ years of experience applying and customizing data mining, model training, and inference methods and techniques.
• Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• Experience with data formats such as Zarr, Parquet, HDF5, and efficient IO (e.g., web dataset).
• Experience with volumetric 3D/4D microscopy data analysis tools.
• Experience with high‑performance compute environments (cloud‑based and slurm/lsf clusters) and model deployment platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, AWS Sage Maker, Google Vertex AI, HF Inference).
• Experience with distributed data processing, multi‑node GPU processing, and ML development frameworks such as PyTorch and/or JAX.
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.
• Experience in building scalable data solutions, working with big data technologies, and ensuring data quality and accessibility.
• Expertise in utilizing data visualization libraries and software (e.g., Matplotlib, R, Jupyter notebooks).
• Detail‑oriented, creative, organized team player with strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
• Able to effectively manage time, prioritize tasks, and clearly convey complex data concepts to technical and non‑technical audiences.

• Remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods of time.
• Reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s).
• Dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example using a keyboard.
• Communication skills using the spoken word.
• Ability to see and hear within normal parameters.
• Ability to move about workspace.
• Ability to move materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet).
• Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

• Data Engineer I: $86,181.60 (minimum) – $ (midpoint) – $ (maximum)
• Data Engineer II: $98,039.20 (minimum) – $ (midpoint) – $ (maximum)
• Data Engineer III: $ (minimum) – $ (midpoint) – $ (maximum)

• Competitive compensation package with comprehensive health and welfare benefits.
• Supportive team environment that promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Opportunity to engage with world‑class researchers, software engineers, and AI/ML experts and contribute to impactful science.
• Amenities that enhance work‑life balance: on‑site childcare, free gyms, on‑campus housing, social and dining spaces, and convenient shuttle bus service to Janelia.
• Opportunity to partner with frontier AI labs on scientific applications of AI.

HHMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We use E‑Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.