Python and C (maybe C++ more than C) are very popular in scientific programming. In the fields I know something about (crystallography, bioinformatics, molecular dynamics simulations) probably the majority of projects that started in this century is in C++ and Python.
Consider interesting, underpaid academic jobs for programmers. There is a good chance that your software will make a bigger difference to the world than in a startup.
We are the scipy/numpy folks and use Python/C to solve interesting scientific / engineering problems. I have been writing interesting Python C extensions for the last six months.