Senior Knowledge Engineer, Ontology and Data Standards (Contract)
Altos Labs is seeking a contract Senior Knowledge Engineer specializing in Ontology and Data Standards to enhance the representation of biological knowledge within the organization. This role is integral to translating biological discoveries into AI-ready schemas, ensuring data quality and consistency across various platforms. The position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA.
In this role, you will design, maintain, and extend internal LinkML/Biolink models and ontologies that cover experimental and prior-knowledge metadata. You will oversee cross-ontology mappings, ensuring they are well-documented and justified, and serve as the primary reviewer for schema changes, emphasizing the reuse of existing terms over creating new ones. Additionally, you will manage and refine the agentic curation framework and Model Context Protocol (MCP) service layer to scale data profiling, validation, and entity mapping beyond manual capacities.
The ideal candidate will hold a PhD with at least 5 years of experience, or a Master's degree with at least 8 years of experience, in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, Systems Biology, or a related life science field. Proficiency in OBO Foundry standards, OWL, RDF, and SPARQL is essential, along with experience in schema modeling using LinkML, Biolink, or BioCypher. Strong skills in Python, including libraries such as pandas and Pydantic, are required, as well as experience with AI environments and building agentic LLM workflows.
The compensation for this role ranges from $105 to $123 per hour, depending on skills, experience, and location. Altos Labs offers a collaborative and inclusive work environment, fostering scientific excellence and innovation. Employees are encouraged to contribute to a culture of belonging, ensuring that all team members feel valued for their unique perspectives.
Altos Labs is a biotechnology firm dedicated to restoring cell health and resilience through cell rejuvenation, aiming to reverse diseases, injuries, and age-related disabilities. The company has been recognized as one of the Top 3 Biotech Companies and ranked for the second consecutive year on the Forbes 2026 Best Startups in America list. Joining Altos Labs provides an opportunity to work alongside exceptional scientists and industry leaders from around the world, contributing to a shared mission of advancing medical science and improving quality of life.