AI-driven drug discovery and aging biology research platform
Calico is an Alphabet-backed biotech R&D lab focused on understanding human aging mechanisms and translating that science into therapeutics. The technical stack—PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, AlphaFold, plus wet-lab tools like LC-MS, qPCR, HPLC—reflects a hybrid operation: computational protein design and ML model validation running alongside traditional drug discovery workflows. The hiring mix is heavily research-focused (44 of 57 roles), with emerging investment in engineering infrastructure (GitHub Actions, FastAPI, pytest adoption) to support data pipelines and platform scaling.
Notable leadership hires: Medical Director, Colony Lead
Calico tackles the fundamental biology of aging through a combination of curiosity-driven discovery science and applied drug development. The company operates across multiple workstreams: protein design and computational target identification (using AlphaFold and JAX), hit-to-lead optimization and synthetic chemistry, preclinical pipeline management, and technology transfer to manufacturing partners. Current projects span novel cardiovascular therapeutic targets, benchmark development for model validation, and a world-class computing and data analysis platform. The organization is structured primarily around research teams, with growing engineering and data functions supporting automation and ML infrastructure.
PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, and AlphaFold are all actively in use. The company is adopting GitHub Actions and pytest to strengthen its ML engineering practices.
South San Francisco, California. The company is hiring exclusively in the United States.
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