Machine Learning Scientist — Large Multimodal Models (Post-Training)

Machine Learning Scientist — Large Multimodal Models (Post-Training)

Full-Time 63000 - 77000 £ / year (est.) Remote
Iambic

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Research and develop innovative post-training methods for cutting-edge AI models in drug discovery.
  • Company: Join Iambic Therapeutics, a pioneering life-science and technology company.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, private medical insurance, and flexible holiday allowances.
  • Other info: Remote work option available; dynamic team with excellent career growth opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on healthcare by advancing AI-driven drug discovery technologies.
  • Qualifications: PhD or equivalent experience in machine learning or related fields; strong Python and PyTorch skills.

The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.

We are seeking a Machine Learning Scientist to join the Enchant team at Iambic Therapeutics. Our mission is to deliver better medicines through innovation in AI-based discovery technologies. In this role, you will research and develop post-training methods for Enchant - our multimodal transformer model trained on a wide variety of biomedical data - pushing the boundaries of what large-scale foundation models can achieve in drug discovery.

The role centers on designing and evaluating post-training approaches for large multimodal language models including supervised fine-tuning, parameter-efficient fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, preference or reward-based optimization, and other emerging post-training methods. You will develop rigorous evaluations and training infrastructure that make it possible to rapidly iterate on these approaches at scale and work closely with colleagues across machine learning, software engineering, and drug discovery to put powerful foundation models into the hands of scientists making real therapeutic decisions. We are hiring across multiple levels and welcome candidates ranging from recent PhD graduates to experienced researchers with a strong publication or deployment record. This is a remote position, with the option to be on-site in our Bristol office.

Key Responsibilities

  • Research and develop post-training strategies for large-scale multimodal foundation models
  • Design reward functions, training objectives, data-generation strategies, and evaluation protocols for reinforcement learning and other post-training approaches applied to multimodal LLMs
  • Build systematic experimentation and hyperparameter optimization workflows to efficiently explore post-training recipes, model configurations, and training strategies
  • Develop and apply inference optimization techniques to support deployment in both high-throughput model evaluation and interactive discovery workflows
  • Design and maintain rigorous benchmarking and evaluation frameworks that measure model quality across modalities, downstream tasks, and scientific use cases
  • Collaborate with ML and software engineering colleagues to productionize models, evaluation systems, and inference services
  • Partner with computational chemists, medicinal chemists, and biologists to ensure model development and post-training objectives are grounded in drug discovery needs
  • Communicate results to internal teams, external partners, and at conferences
  • Write high-quality research and engineering code: refactor, test, document, and package ML components to support team velocity

Qualifications

  • PhD in machine learning, computer science, computational chemistry, physics, or a related computational STEM field, or equivalent industry experience demonstrating comparable depth
  • Strong Python and PyTorch skills, including implementing, training, debugging and evaluating deep learning models end-to-end
  • Demonstrated experience training large-scale transformer models
  • Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following:
    • Reinforcement learning approaches such as RLHF, RLAIF, PPO, GRPO, RL with verifiable rewards, or related methods (strongly preferred)
    • Supervised fine-tuning, full-parameter fine-tuning, parameter-efficient fine-tuning (LoRA), or related methods
    • Systematic hyperparameter optimization or large-scale experimentation using tools such as Optuna, Ray Tune, or similar frameworks
  • Strong engineering practices: reproducible experimentation, clean code, testing, and performance-aware debugging
  • Comfort with modern ML infrastructure (e.g., Docker, CUDA, Kubernetes, experiment tracking tools such as Weights & Biases)

Preferred

  • Experience with multimodal or multi-task model architectures
  • Training and inference optimization (e.g., mixed precision, kernel optimization, quantization, distributed strategies)
  • Familiarity with biomedical, chemical, or biological data domains
  • Distributed training at scale
  • HPC or large-scale training operations experience

About Iambic Therapeutics

Iambic is a clinical-stage life-science and technology company developing novel medicines using its AI-driven discovery and development platform. Based in San Diego and founded in 2020, Iambic has assembled a world-class team that unites pioneering AI experts and experienced drug hunters. The Iambic platform has demonstrated delivery of new drug candidates to human clinical trials with unprecedented speed and across multiple target classes and mechanisms of action. Iambic is advancing a pipeline of potential best-in-class and first-in-class clinical assets, both internally and in partnership, to address urgent unmet patient need.

MISSION & CORE VALUES

Our mission is to deliver better medicines through innovations in AI-based discovery technologies. The culture and work at Iambic Therapeutics are profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our people and our differences in background, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences. We are committed to building an inclusive environment where a diverse group of talented humans work together to discover therapeutics and create technologies.

Pay And Benefits

We offer a competitive compensation package, private medical insurance, life assurance, pension contributions, and flexible holiday allowances to our team. Our UK office provides a modern and collaborative work environment, right in the centre of Bristol.

Machine Learning Scientist — Large Multimodal Models (Post-Training) employer: Iambic

Iambic Therapeutics is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and collaborative work environment in the heart of Bristol. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide competitive compensation, private medical insurance, and flexible holiday allowances, ensuring our team members thrive both personally and professionally. Join us to be part of a cutting-edge team that values innovation and teamwork in the exciting field of bioinformatics.

Iambic

Contact Details:

Iambic Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Machine Learning Scientist — Large Multimodal Models (Post-Training)

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We think you need these skills to ace Machine Learning Scientist — Large Multimodal Models (Post-Training)

Machine Learning
Post-Training Methods
Multimodal Transformer Models
Reinforcement Learning
Supervised Fine-Tuning
Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning
Hyperparameter Optimization

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Iambic.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Iambic and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Iambic

✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Iambic uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

✨Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.