Data Scientist – ML / AI-Systems Full-time

Data Scientist Position

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity? At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Position Summary

We are seeking a talented and driven Data Scientist to join our dynamic team at Illumina. In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams of scientists, engineers, and bioinformaticians to analyze complex biological data, develop advanced models, and deliver actionable insights that propel Illumina's research, development, and commercial objectives. Your work will directly support initiatives across genomics, clinical applications, and product development, helping to shape the future of personalized medicine and health care.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement robust statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and analytical pipelines.
• Partner with internal teams—including research, product, informatics, and engineering—to define project goals, data needs, and analytical approaches that align with Illumina's strategic objectives.
• Apply data mining and predictive modeling techniques to identify patterns, trends, and correlations in diverse datasets (e.g., sequencing data, clinical outcomes, operational metrics).
• Evaluate and validate model performance, ensuring reproducibility, scalability, and reliability of analytical solutions.
• Collaborate with software engineers to deploy analytical tools and integrate models into production-grade software platforms for internal and customer-facing applications.
• Communicate complex data-driven findings clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders through presentations, documentation, and visualizations.
• Stay current with emerging trends, tools, and best practices in data science, machine learning, and computational biology; continuously seek opportunities to improve processes and outcomes.
• Contribute to the publication and dissemination of results in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and internal reports as appropriate.
• Collaborate with AI-systems designers to implement LLM driven solutions in support of enterprise use cases (LLM driven chatbots)

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Engineering, or a closely related field. Master's degree or Ph.D. is preferred.
• Proven experience working with large and complex datasets, with a strong background in data wrangling, statistical analysis, and machine learning.
• Demonstrated proficiency in at least one major programming language used for data analysis (such as Python, R, or Julia).
• Experience with cloud computing platforms, including AWS, MS Azure, as well as modern data warehousing solutions such as Snowflake.
• Familiarity with enterprise data management / data processing tools – Kubernetes, Tableau, Apache
• Understanding of version control systems, especially Git, for collaborative code development and review.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate technical findings into actionable recommendations for diverse audiences.
• Analytical mindset and a passion for problem-solving in an interdisciplinary, fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects concurrently with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in a relevant field (Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Data Science, etc.).
• Typically requires a Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 2 years of related experience; or an advanced degree without experience; or equivalent work experience
• Hands-on experience with genomic data analysis, including familiarity with next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, omics data types, and relevant bioinformatics tools.
• History of contributing to open-source projects or publications in scientific journals.
• Experience working in highly regulated environments and understanding of data privacy standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) as applied to biological and clinical data.
• Background in healthcare, life sciences, or biotechnology industry.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Strong foundation in statistics, probability, and experimental design.
• Expertise in supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques (e.g., regression, classification, clustering, dimensionality reduction).
• Comfortable working in a regulated environment and managing code, solution designs within these constraints.
• Proficiency in data cleaning, preprocessing, and feature engineering for structured and unstructured data.
• Ability to assess and select appropriate models, evaluate metrics, and iterate solutions using best practices.
• Capacity to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and adapt to evolving project requirements.
• Innovative thinker with a desire to apply data science solutions to real-world challenges.

We are a company deeply rooted in belonging, promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Built on a strong foundation, Illumina has always prioritized openness, collaboration, and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics. We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race. We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information. Illumina conducts background checks on applicants for whom a conditional offer of employment has been made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws. Background check results may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. The background check process and any decisions made as a result shall be made in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws. Illumina prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the application and interview process.