Scientist, Computational Chemist & MLOps Engineer

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq ARWR) is a commercial‑stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. Arrowhead’s RNAi‑based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing to address diseases with a genetic basis, often characterized by the overproduction of disease‑related proteins. The company’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA, with R&D teams in Madison, WI, and San Diego, CA, and a manufacturing facility in Verona, WI.

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated computational scientist to join our research organization and contribute to machine‑learning‑driven drug discovery efforts. The role focuses on data engineering, statistical modeling, bioinformatics, and scientific software development supporting internal therapeutic design programs. The position may be filled at the Scientist I‑III level depending on experience and qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply statistical and machine‑learning models to experimental datasets.
• Design, maintain, and optimize scientific databases and data‑processing pipelines.
• Build reproducible computational workflows for bioinformatics and drug‑discovery applications.
• Analyze high‑dimensional biological datasets and communicate findings to multidisciplinary teams.
• Contribute production‑quality Python code and maintain version‑controlled scientific software.
• Operate effectively in Linux/HPC environments, including remote systems and cloud‑based infrastructure.
• Write clear, maintainable, and testable scientific code; debug complex computational and data issues independently.
• Apply statistically rigorous thinking to experimental interpretation and maintain reproducibility.
• Partner with scientists across biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, and computational research groups.
• Support development of internal computational platforms and modeling infrastructure.
• Document workflows, analyses, and software according to reproducible‑research standards.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to technical best practices (Scientist II/III).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Strong programming experience in Python.
• Experience working in Linux command‑line environments.
• Foundational understanding of statistics and machine‑learning methods.
• Experience handling structured and unstructured biological datasets.
• Familiarity with source‑control tools such as Git.
• For Scientist III level: advanced degree (PhD preferred) or equivalent industry experience; demonstrated history of leading computational projects independently; strong background in applied statistics, predictive modeling, and experimental data interpretation; experience mentoring scientists or leading technical initiatives; ability to translate ambiguous scientific problems into robust computational solutions.

Preferred Experience

• Predictive modeling and/or deep‑learning methods.
• Modern ML tooling and model‑evaluation methodologies.
• Therapeutic design, RNA biology, genomics, or laboratory experience.
• Bioinformatics workflows and sequence‑based analysis.
• Large‑scale biological or omics datasets.
• Distributed computing systems.
• Collaborative software‑development environments.

Pay

Wisconsin pay range: $100,000 – $125,000 USD.

Benefits

Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefits package.

Candidates must have current, valid authorization to work in the country where this role is located.