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Scientific Software Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Infozone Inc

Software Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

... and scientific software development. Experience/Skills : * Strong Math and/or Physics background with a minimum of 5 years experience in the Intelligence Community * Minimum 4 years experience in ...

Q-CTRL

Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

About the role As a Software Engineer on the Boulder Opal team, you will build the backend ... Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline. * Strong programming ...

Airbus Ventures

Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

About the role As a Software Engineer on the Boulder Opal team, you will build the backend ... Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline. * Strong programming ...

Infozone Inc

Software Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

... and scientific software development. Experience/Skills : * Strong Math and/or Physics background with a minimum of 5 years experience in the Intelligence Community * Minimum 4 years experience in ...

Expert Intelligence

Senior Software Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$143K - $189K/yr

You will build production software used by scientists and enterprise customers, not internal prototypes that never leave the lab. You will work closely with product, design, and customers to solve ...

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All JobsScientific Software JobsScientific Software Jobs in California

Scientific Software information

See California salary details

$82.4K

$101.2K

$133.7K

How much do scientific software jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for scientific software in California is $101,157.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $88,800.00 and $113,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a scientific software developer?

A scientific software developer is a professional who designs, creates, and maintains software tools and applications used for scientific research and data analysis. These developers work closely with scientists and researchers to translate complex scientific problems into computational solutions. Their work often involves programming, algorithm development, and optimizing code for high-performance computing environments. Scientific software developers play a critical role in fields like physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering by enabling researchers to process and visualize large datasets, simulate experiments, and gain insights from data.

How does a scientific software professional typically collaborate with domain scientists and research teams?

Scientific Software professionals often work closely with domain scientists, researchers, and data analysts to develop and maintain tools that enable scientific discovery. Collaboration usually involves requirements gathering, iterative feedback on prototypes, and integrating scientific algorithms into user-friendly applications. Effective communication skills are crucial, as you’ll be translating complex scientific needs into robust, efficient code and ensuring the software meets both research objectives and usability standards. Team environments tend to be interdisciplinary, offering the opportunity to learn from experts in various scientific fields while contributing your technical expertise.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in scientific software roles, and why are they important?

To excel in Scientific Software roles, you need a strong background in computer science, mathematics, or a scientific discipline, along with demonstrated programming proficiency (often in Python, C++, or MATLAB). Familiarity with version control systems (like Git), scientific computing libraries, and sometimes specialized tools (e.g., HPC clusters or cloud platforms) is typically expected. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication skills help bridge the gap between scientific users and technical implementation. These skills ensure the creation of robust, efficient, and user-friendly software that accelerates scientific research and discovery.

What is the difference between Scientific Software vs Data Analyst?

AspectScientific SoftwareData Analyst
Required CredentialsTypically requires degrees in science, engineering, or computer science; coding skillsUsually requires degrees in statistics, mathematics, or related fields; strong analytical skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, scientific institutions, academia, industry R&DBusiness, finance, healthcare, marketing sectors
Employer & Industry UsageUsed by scientists and engineers for simulations, modeling, data analysisUsed by companies for data interpretation, reporting, decision-making

Scientific Software professionals focus on developing and utilizing specialized tools for scientific research and simulations, often working in research environments. Data Analysts interpret data to inform business decisions across various industries. While both roles require analytical skills and familiarity with data, Scientific Software roles emphasize scientific computing and programming, whereas Data Analysts focus on data interpretation and visualization.

What are popular job titles related to Scientific Software jobs in California?

For Scientific Software jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Scientific Software jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Scientific Software jobs in California are:

Scientific Software jobs near you
Infographic showing various Scientific Software job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $101,157 per year, or $48.6 per hour.

Scientific Data Engineer

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Berkeley, CA • On-site

$140K - $168K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory rating

9.5

Company rating: 9.5 out of 10

Based on 5 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

2nd of 121 rated laboratories

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is hiring a Scientific Data Engineer within the Scientific Data Division.
The Computational Biosciences Group has an immediate opening for a software and data engineer in the area of multi-modal data modeling and analysis with applications to bioscience research. You will develop new methods and software tools that enable scientific knowledge discovery using modern data management and machine learning technologies and advance the state-of-the-art in data-intensive analysis. Your projects will focus on the domains of omics/structural biology data and neurophysiology data. Under limited instruction, you will be part of an experienced team conducting R&D in the areas of FAIR data science, AI, and modern methods for data understanding. You will be working as part of a multi-disciplinary team composed of computer scientists, data scientists, and bioinformaticians. Please note this is a scientific software/data engineering position- it is not a pure machine learning or AI research position, and it is not a pure data science or analytics position.
You will:
  • Design and develop user-friendly software packages for scientific data management and analysis
  • Work with domain experts to develop FAIR data models (i.e., models of the structure organization of the data) and management solutions for bioscience applications
  • Support machine learning and AI use of biological data by making it well-structured, documented, and efficiently accessible
  • Work closely with the community of developers of the Neurodata Without Borders and LinkML open source data ecosystems, as well as the Joint Genome Institute.
  • Maintain and manage open source software products, including managing development priorities, software releases, continuous integration, and testing
  • Design, implement and maintain high performance computing and cloud solutions for visualization and analysis of complex biological data
  • Develop machine learning and AI solutions for analysis of biological data in close collaboration with diverse teams of scientists
  • Train scientists and research software engineers in the use of the developed software products at workshops and conferences
  • Demonstrate good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.
  • Network with senior internal and external personnel in their own area of expertise.

We are looking for:
  • Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, machine learning, bioinformatics, or equivalent; or 3 years and a Master's degree; or equivalent work experience designing and developing software for data modeling or analysis; or a PhD in a relevant STEM field
  • Demonstrated experience developing software in a scientific or research context, such as in a research group, a scientific user facility, or on a scientific software project
  • Demonstrated hands-on experience in a production environment, developing scientific software, scientific data models, or scientific data pipelines
  • Strong programming experience in Python. Working proficiency in C++ or Javascript is a plus.
  • Experience testing large code bases
  • Experience contributing to community-driven open source software
  • Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: data management, scientific data analysis, machine learning
  • Works well in a collaborative team environment
  • Demonstrated capability with the Git version control and continuous integration systems, such as GitHub or GitLab
  • Ability to work effectively with domain scientists whose expertise is outside computing, and to translate their requirements into technical designs.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a cross-disciplinary team.

Desired skills/knowledge:
  • Master's or PhD in Computer Science or related field, with 5 or more years of professional experience designing and developing scientific data modeling or analysis software
  • Experience working with modern scientific data formats and database systems, such as HDF5, Zarr, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Redis
  • Experience with Neurodata Without Borders, LinkML, or similar software ecosystems
  • Experience working with large biological data, such as in the areas of neurophysiology, microbiology, genomics, or protein design
  • Experience designing or working with structured data models, schemas, ontologies, or data standards
  • Familiarity with FAIR data principles, persistent identifiers, provenance, and controlled vocabularies and ontologies
  • Experience preparing scientific datasets for use by machine learning pipelines or LLM-based agents
  • Experience working with cloud object storage, cloud computing, High-Performance Computing, data lakehouse architecture, or containerization.
  • Experience developing web-based graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or application programming interfaces (APIs) for scientific data analysis and management

How to apply:
In addition to your resume, please include a brief cover letter (max 300 words) that describes one scientific software project you have contributed to, or one scientific data model, schema, standard, or pipeline you have helped design or implement. Describe your specific role and what the technical challenge was. Thesis, internship, research lab, and personal projects count. If the code is public, include a link.
We're here for the same mission, to bring science solutions to the world. Join our team and YOU will play a supporting role in our goal to address global challenges! Have a high level of impact and work for an organization associated with 17 Nobel Prizes!
Why join Berkeley Lab?
We invest in our employees by offering a total rewards package you can count on:
  • Exceptional health and retirement benefits, including pension or 401K-style plans
  • A culture where you'll belong - we are invested in our teams!
  • In addition to accruing vacation and sick time, we also have a Winter Holiday Shutdown every year.
  • Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers)
  • Pet insurance

Additional information:
  • Appointment type: This is a full-time, 2 years, term appointment with the possibility of extension or conversion to Career appointment based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs.
  • Salary range: The expected salary for this position is $131,760 - $161,064, which fits into the full salary of $117,132 - $197,676 depending upon the candidate's skills, knowledge, and abilities. This includes education, certifications, and years of experience.
  • Background check: This position is subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
  • Work modality: Work may be performed on-site, or hybrid. The primary location for this role is Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA. Work must be performed within the United States. A REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification is required to access Berkeley Lab sites (for more information click here).

Want to learn more about working at Berkeley Lab? Please visit: careers.lbl.gov
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: The foundation of Berkeley Lab is our Stewardship Values: Team Science, Service, Trust, Innovation, and Respect; and we strive to build community with these shared values and commitments. Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We heartily welcome applications from all who could contribute to the Lab's mission of leading scientific discovery, excellence, and professionalism. In support of our rich global community, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories under State and Federal law.
Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer. For additional information, click here.

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