About Pairwise:

Pairwise is a mission driven AgriFoodTech company pioneering the application of CRISPR technology in food and agriculture. Founded in 2017 by leading scientists in the gene editing and biotechnology fields, Pairwise holds licenses from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital to base editing and high-fidelity enzymes – in addition to our own proprietary, company-developed suite of novel tools.

Anchored by our Fulcrum™ platform and deep technical and agronomic expertise in more than 60 crops, we’re accelerating innovation in plant genetics, food and agricultural products, supply chains, and production systems. Our expert team delivers commercially viable products that benefit the planet, consumers, growers, and our business partners.

After successfully delivering 27 novel traits to Bayer’s pipeline during our first collaboration for corn, soy, wheat, and canola, our second collaboration currently underway is focused on developing climate-friendly short-stature corn – with more partnerships on the horizon. Our consumer-facing pipeline includes seedless blackberries and pitless cherries.

Named one of America’s Top GreenTech Companies, Pairwise is based in the start-up friendly Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina.

About This Role:

The Machine Learning Engineer will play a key role in bridging advanced AI methodologies with Pairwise’s biological research and operational initiatives. This individual will design, evaluate, and integrate machine learning systems that drive insight generation, innovation, and efficiency across R&D and enterprise applications.

This role requires a technically adept and scientifically curious engineer who can select and piece together models to address complex biological and operational problems—and who can confidently communicate technical details and strategic implications to internal scientists and external partners.

Essential Functions:

• Architect and integrate ML solutions by selecting, evaluating, and combining existing models and tools to solve scientific and operational problems.
• Collaborate with R&D teams to design data pipelines and ensure biological datasets (e.g., genomics, sequencing, bioinformatics) are suitable for robust model development.
• Serve as a technical translator, bridging the gap between internal scientific needs and the evolving ML/AI landscape, as well as interpreting external partner proposals for feasibility and scope.
• Prototype and validate new approaches to accelerate discovery, analysis, and decision-making across Pairwise’s R&D initiatives.
• Support AI/ML adoption in operational workflows by deploying and maintaining practical, user-friendly ML tools.
• Enable cross-functional learning by training scientists and technical teams on model capabilities, limitations, and interpretability.

Required Education & Experience:

• PhD in Machine Learning/AI, Computer Science, or Applied Mathematics.
• 1–3 years of post-graduate experience applying ML techniques to real-world problems.
• Strong understanding of model mathematics, optimization, and statistical foundations.
• Experience working with biological datasets such as genomics, sequencing, or bioinformatics.
• Proficiency with modern ML frameworks
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with multi-modal data integration (e.g., sequence, image, and phenotype data).
• Background in life sciences or computational biology.
• Experience deploying ML solutions in research or cloud environments.
• Demonstrated success engaging with technical partners or collaborators.

Offerings:

• Comprehensive Benefits Plan, including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA, 401k, Life Insurance, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability, and more!
• Flexible PTO (use what you need, when you need it), in addition to company holidays.
• Casual work environment.
• Mission-driven organization focused on creating healthier fruits and veggies.
• A cutting-edge, driven community looking to lead the industry in innovation and nutrition.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and use hands to finger, handle or feel, and techniques that require fine motor skills and repetitive motions. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. The employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

EEO Statement: We're 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.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Pairwise we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

No Recruiters please.