Software Developer (KBase)

Berkeley Lab's (LBNL) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) Division is looking for a Software Developer to join the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) team!

KBase integrates diverse biological datasets, computational models, and analytical tools into a unied, extensible platform that enables researchers to generate, test, and rene hypotheses about biological systems. KBase supports large-scale, collaborative, and reproducible science across microbial ecology, functional genomics, and systems biology.

In this exciting role, you will design, develop, and maintain software infrastructure that enables AI-driven scientic workows, including intelligent agents that interact with the KBase Data Lakehouse and associated knowledge resources. You will play a key role in building agentic systems, data services, and knowledge representations that allow AI tools to reason over harmonized, ontologically labeled biological data.

This position emphasizes the development of AI agents and co-scientist tools, integration with large-scale data lakehouse infrastructure, construction of knowledge graphs, and close collaboration with domain scientists. You will have the opportunity to contribute directly to scientic outputs, including publications, and help shape the next-generation AI-assisted discovery workows within KBase.

This position has an anticipated start date of March 2, 2026.

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!
• Enjoy a Winter Holiday shutdown every year.
• Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers).
• Pet insurance.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the design and development of AI agents integrated with the KBase Narrative Interface, KBase Apps, and data services.
• Develop agent-based tools using Python, LangChain, LangGraph, CrewAI, and modern large language models (e.g., OpenAI GPT-5.2, Claude Opus 4.5, DeepSeek, Kimi).
• Implement AI agents that interact with the KBase Datastore, a Delta Lake-based lakehouse built on PySpark.
• Design and maintain agent state management systems, prompt strategies, and benchmarking tools to ensure reliability and performance.
• Write robust, e cient, and well-tested code to support agent orchestration and pipeline integration.
• Collaborate with the AI/ML team to advance foundational models and tools for microbial genomics research.
• Contribute to front-end and back-end integration as needed to expose AI agent capabilities to end users.
• Develop, test, and maintain documentation and software artifacts in compliance with team standards and quality assurance procedures.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship in AI tool design and system integration.

What We Are Looking For:

• A Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent knowledge/training) in Computer Science, Engineering, Computational Biology, or a related eld and a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in AI agent frameworks, data engineering, and software development in service of scientic research or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience designing and implementing intelligent agents for scientic or technical workows.
• Demonstrated prociency in Python and AI agent frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, and CrewAI).
• Experience working with large language models (LLMs) and prompt engineering across multiple providers.
• Skilled in PySpark and data engineering using lakehouse architectures (Delta Lake).
• Familiarity with machine learning libraries (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn).
• Knowledge of open-source collaboration, GitHub workflows, and Agile practices.
• Strong grasp of AI agent state management, evaluation, and benchmarking.
• Familiarity with deploying data/compute-intensive workflows on HPC or cloud research infrastructure.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including experience organizing and presenting information to technical and non technical audiences.
• Strong analytical skills including experience identifying and solving complex technical problems.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills including experience collaborating with a variety of scientific, operations, and technical teams.

Desired Qualifications:

• A Master's Degree (or equivalent knowledge/training) in Computer Science, Engineering, Computational Biology, or a related eld.
• Experience ne-tuning large language models or developing custom language models.
• Experience with scientic reproducibility practices and metadata standards.
• Familiarity with scientic data analysis and visualization techniques.

Additional Information:

• Application Date: Priority consideration will be given to candidates who apply with a resume and a cover letter by February 6, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the job posting is removed.
• Appointment Type: This is a full-time, exempt from overtime pay (monthly paid), 1 year (benefits eligible), 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 Information: This position has a budgeted salary range of $117,132 - $146,400 annually, which fits within the full salary range of $117,132 - $197,676 annually for job code C76.2. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary for this position will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualification and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications, and aligned with the internal peer group.
• Background Check: This position may be 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: This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule - a combination of teleworking and performing work on site at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab located at 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720. Individuals working a hybrid schedule must reside within 150 miles of Berkeley Lab. Work schedules are dependent on business needs. A REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification is required to access Berkeley Lab sites (for more information click here).
• Relocation: This position is eligible for relocation assistance.
• Work Authorization: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Berkeley Lab does not provide visa sponsorship for this position.

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.

Berkeley Lab is a University of California employer. It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.