---
title: 'Senior Scientist, Cardiac Modeling at insitro'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scientist-cardiac-modeling-insitro-south-san-francisco-jv1ksyknx3c8'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-15'
---

# Senior Scientist, Cardiac Modeling at insitro

- **Company:** insitro
- **Location:** South San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-08-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/insitro/0aea232d-aaac-4a2f-b26e-6b1cf23f8466

## Job description

The Opportunity insitro is a physical AI company dedicated to unlocking causal human biology and accelerating the delivery of better medicines to patients. Our unique Virtual Human™ platform identifies novel, high-impact genetic intervention points, which our TherML™ platform translates into therapeutics—whether small molecules, biologics, or oligos. With multiple programs in metabolic disease and neuroscience advancing toward the clinic, and our first IND submission slated for the second half of this year, we are at a pivotal inflection point. We are seeking a Senior Scientist to join our cardiac disease biology team. In this role, you will own the development and application of iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte (iPSC-CM) models to study the genetic and molecular underpinnings of cardiovascular disease — working at the intersection of human stem cell biology, cardiac physiology, and scalable experimental platforms to generate the datasets that fuel our ML-driven drug discovery efforts. You will design and execute experiments, optimize differentiation and assay workflows, and partner closely with ML scientists, computational biologists, and chemists to connect cellular phenotypes to disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Based in South San Francisco, this position reports directly to Vice President, Cardiometabolic Disease - Translational Genetics and requires you to be onsite at our South San Francisco office 5 days per week.

## Responsibilities

iPSC-CM Platform & Model Development

- Differentiation & QC: Lead the generation, characterization, and maintenance of iPSC lines and their differentiation into cardiomyocytes, with rigorous quality control at each stage of the pipeline
- 2D & 3D Formats: Design, implement, and optimize iPSC-CM assays in both 2D monolayer and 3D/engineered heart tissue (EHT) formats, with a focus on scalability and data quality
- Genetic Disease Models: Build and apply isogenic iPSC-CM disease models — including CRISPR-edited lines carrying disease-associated variants — to study cardiovascular pathophysiology

Functional Assays & Disease Modeling

- Functional Readouts: Develop readouts of cardiomyocyte biology relevant to disease —contractility, electrophysiology, calcium handling, stress responses — in formats compatible with high-throughput data acquisition
- Rigor & Reproducibility: Drive documentation, SOPs, and data standards that ensure reproducible, publication-quality results across the cardiac biology platform

ML & Cross-functional Partnership

- Experiment Design for ML: Partner with ML and computational biology teams to design experiments that generate high-quality training data and to interpret model outputs in biological context
- Target Identification: Contribute to target identification and validation efforts by connecting cellular phenotypes to human genetic evidence

Scientific Leadership

- Mentorship: Mentor junior scientists and technicians, and contribute to a collaborative, scientifically rigorous team culture

## About You

## Experience & Qualifications

- Advanced Degree: Ph.D. in cell biology, biomedical engineering, cardiac physiology, or a related field, with at least 3 years of industry experience
- iPSC-CM Expertise: Deep hands-on experience in iPSC culture, cardiac directed differentiation, and iPSC-CM characterization across both 2D and 3D/EHT platforms
- Genetic Disease Modeling: Track record building and applying genetic iPSC-CM disease models — patient-derived lines, CRISPR-edited isogenic pairs — to study cardiovascular mechanisms
- Cardiovascular Biology: Strong foundational knowledge of cardiomyocyte biology and cardiovascular disease
- High-Content Imaging: Experience with high-content imaging and/or automated microscopy platforms, including image analysis pipelines
- Human Genetics: Familiarity with GWAS and human genetic evidence, and experience using these data to prioritize disease mechanisms or therapeutic targets
- Scientific Communication: Track record of executing rigorous experiments and communicating findings clearly in publications, presentations, or internal reports

Core Competencies

- ML Curiosity: You're enthusiastic about working alongside ML scientists and understand how experimental design shapes what a model can learn
- Builder Mentality: You thrive building systems from the ground up and bring the same rigor to a new workflow as to a published experiment
- Cross-functional Collaborator: You work fluidly across biology, computation, and chemistry, and communicate clearly across disciplines
- Independent & Adaptive: You drive projects forward independently in a fast-paced environment while staying aligned with team priorities

## Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $156,000 - $166,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data. This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.

In addition, insitro also provides our employees:

- 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
- Open, flexible vacation policy
- Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
- Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
- New hire stipend for home office setup
- Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
- Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
- Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area

insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.

Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @[insitro.com](http://insitro.com), and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com. #LI-Onsite

## About insitro

insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit [www.insitro.com](http://www.insitro.com).

## About insitro

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: insitro is a drug discovery company using machine learning, high-throughput biology, and human genetics to build causal models of disease and accelerate the development of transformative medicines.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C)
- **Headquarters**: South San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2018
- **Founders**: Daphne Koller (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biotechnology Research; AI-driven drug discovery
- **Target customers**: B2B (pharma partnerships) and self-originated pipeline – therapeutic areas including metabolism (MASH, lipogenesis), oncology, and neuroscience
- **Mission/purpose**: “Bring better drugs faster to the patients who can benefit most” by decoding the complexities of biology with ML and data at scale

## Products & Services
- **Insitro Platform**: An industrialized ML platform that integrates in vitro cellular data (produced in automated labs) with human clinical and genetic data to identify causal disease drivers and design optimal therapeutic interventions.
- **Virtual Human™**: A genetically anchored causal AI engine that models how disease begins, progresses, and can be resolved.
- **TherML™ AI Platform**: An AI system for designing optimal small molecule medicines.
- **Pipeline Programs**: Wholly-owned and partnered programs in metabolism (e.g., CTRO-1013 for MASH), oncology (ADC biology), and neuroscience.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric – Total Funding**: $743M (per LinkedIn) to >$750M (per company press release); includes Series A ($100M, 2018; $100M, 2019), Series B ($143M, 2020), Series C ($400M, 2021)
- **Annual Revenue**: $20.3M (LinkedIn estimate; also reported ~$140M in total collaboration revenue to date from partnerships with BMS, Lilly, and Gilead)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: a16z, ARCH, BlackRock, Casdin, CPP Investments, Foresite Capital, GV, SoftBank, Temasek, Third Rock Ventures, T. Rowe Price. Partners include Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Gilead.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount decreased ~20.6% YoY to ~211 employees; however active job postings increased 400% YoY (10 postings). The lead MASH candidate CTRO-1013 is expected to enter first-in-human clinical trials in 2026. New data presented at ADA 2025 shows anti-fibrotic signals.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Causal biology focus**: Integrates human genetics, multi-modal cellular data, and clinical imaging to identify causal intervention points – distinguishes from purely correlative AI models.
- **Industrialized learning loop**: Each program generates data that improves the platform’s predictive models, enabling faster scaling across therapeutic areas.
- **World-class team and investors**: Led by AI pioneer Daphne Koller with backing from top-tier tech and healthcare investors.
- **Revenue‑generating partnerships**: Validated by large pharma collaborations (BMS, Lilly, Gilead) bringing in ~$140M.

## Strategic Focus
- **Advancing pipeline to clinic**: CTRO-1013 (IRS1 inhibitor for MASH) is the lead wholly-owned program entering human trials in 2026. Additional programs in metabolism, oncology, and neuroscience are progressing.
- **Deepening platform capabilities**: Continued investment in automation, multi-modal data generation (imaging, genomics, proteomics), and ML model refinement across all biology scales.
- **Expanding partnerships**: Leveraging platform to support partner drug discovery while retaining wholly-owned programs.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Cross-disciplinary environment where life scientists, data scientists, engineers, and drug hunters collaborate on first-in-class drug discovery problems.
- **Work model**: Roles primarily based in South San Francisco, CA and Krakow, Poland; specific remote/hybrid policy not publicly detailed.
- **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but the company emphasizes a “unique culture” focused on scientific breakthroughs and scaling data-driven medicine.
- **Employer ratings**: Mixed (2.7/5 on LinkedIn from 31 reviews). Compensation scores higher (3.6/5) while culture (2.6/5) and career development (2.7/5) are areas of concern.
- **Engineering/ML culture**: Strong focus on applying state-of-the-art ML (including generative AI, causal inference, imaging analysis) to real biological problems. Open roles span ML science, software engineering (scientific pipelines), and computational biology.
- **Growth trajectory**: Despite recent headcount reductions, the near-term clinical milestone (CTRO-1013 Phase 1) and increased hiring point to a potential inflection point.

## Sources
1. [insitro.com – Company site](https://www.insitro.com/)
2. [insitro.com – Platform page](https://www.insitro.com/platform/)
3. [LinkedIn – Insitro company page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/insitro)
4. [CBInsights – Insitro company profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/insitro)
5. [Greenhouse – Insitro careers page](https://boards.greenhouse.io/insitro)

## Other roles at insitro

- [Senior Director, Quality Assurance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-quality-assurance-insitro-south-san-francisco-9enwbdgv2t0y) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Data Scientist, CompBio](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-scientist-compbio-insitro-south-san-francisco-324575g11esn) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Staff Software Engineer, Imaging](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-imaging-insitro-south-san-francisco-50jmxgaczv65) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Counsel / Senior Counsel](https://feeny.ai/job/counsel-senior-counsel-insitro-south-san-francisco-rtew4z5mnxnp) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Vice President, Regulatory Affairs](https://feeny.ai/job/vice-president-regulatory-affairs-insitro-south-san-francisco-ap5d1em1hqjk) — South San Francisco, CA
- [(Associate) Director, Drug Product Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-drug-product-operations-insitro-south-san-francisco-2tfa0q8rvs62) — South San Francisco, CA
- [(Senior) Director, Translational Medicine and Diagnostics](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-translational-medicine-and-diagnostics-insitro-south-san-fg3r8bm11cp4) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Automation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-automation-engineer-insitro-south-san-francisco-t9h19jmmdez2) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Manager / Associate Director, Project & Portfolio Management](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-associate-director-project-portfolio-management-insitro-south-jrx049q0j47k) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Manager, Imaging Machine Learning](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-imaging-machine-learning-insitro-south-san-francisco-pqbdxq8j92fv) — South San Francisco, CA