Computational Scientist (R&D) Co-Op

Flagship Pioneering invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability and beyond. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated more than 100 companies. Many of these companies have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

At Flagship, we accept impossible missions to enable bigger leaps. Our core values guide us through uncertainty and toward lasting impact.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Computational Scientist (R&D) co-op to support the development of analytical methods, models, and simulations for a next-generation biological sensing platform. In this role, you will work closely with experimental scientists, ML researchers, and engineers to address open scientific questions, develop bespoke analyses, and help shape emerging computational capabilities that inform platform and product development.

This position is ideal for a master’s-level student in computer science, applied mathematics, bioinformatics, or a related field who wants hands-on experience working at the intersection of computation, biology, and experimental data.

What You’ll Work On

• Develop and apply computational analyses to answer specific scientific questions arising from ongoing R&D experiments.


• Build and evaluate analytical models and simulations to interpret biological nanopore data and related experimental readouts.


• Prototype new analytical workflows and features that support data exploration, hypothesis testing, and experimental decision-making.


• Collaborate with experimental teams to translate biological questions into quantitative analyses.


• Contribute to shared analytical tools (e.g., interactive dashboards or analysis applications) used by scientists across the organization.


• Identify patterns in bespoke analyses that could be generalized into reusable methods or pipelines.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Currently enrolled in a Master’s program in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Physics, or a related quantitative field.


• Strong programming skills in Python (NumPy, pandas, SciPy, or similar).


• Experience working with real, messy datasets and exploratory scientific analyses.


• Comfort operating in open-ended problem spaces with incomplete information.


• Ability to clearly communicate results to both technical and non-technical collaborators.

Nice to Have

• Experience with signal processing, time-series analysis, or statistical modeling.


• Familiarity with machine learning or probabilistic modeling.


• Exposure to biological data or experimental workflows.


• Experience building analysis tools, dashboards, or visualization applications.


• Interest in translating exploratory analyses into more formalized methods.

What You’ll Gain

• Ownership of real scientific problems that directly impact platform and product development.


• Experience working at the interface of computational research, machine learning, and experimental biology.


• Mentorship from computational scientists and ML researchers in an industry R&D environment.


• Exposure to how exploratory research evolves into scalable analytical capabilities.


• A portfolio of impactful computational work suitable for future PhD, industry, or research roles.

Why This Role Is Different

Unlike many co-op roles focused on narrow tasks or predefined pipelines, this position emphasizes scientific reasoning, method development, and computational creativity. You’ll help answer questions that don’t yet have established solutions and see your work influence real experimental decisions.

The pay range for this role is $25 - $40 per hour. This role is a short-term engagement that is not eligible for health and welfare benefits. Retirement benefits may be available after completing a set number of hours. Compensation and benefits information is based on FL110's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.

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