Principal Computational Methodologist (Belgium)

UCB; Brussel; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

UCB is looking for a Principal Computational Methodologist to join the Advanced Methods and Data Science team in Brussels, Belgium. The successful candidate will lead AI and machine learning initiatives to support clinical development and help build scalable tools. A PhD in Statistics or a related field and experience in pharma are essential.

This role requires expertise in programming languages such as Python and R, as well as a strong understanding of machine learning methodologies. UCB offers a collaborative and diverse working environment, and is an equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant scientific field.
• Experience in industry, preferably in pharma or data-focused environments.
• Ability to program in Python or R.
• Understanding of various machine learning methods and their applications.
• Experience with reproducible research and software development.

Responsibilities

• Lead AI and machine learning projects for clinical development.
• Design and test deep learning models for various types of data.
• Develop AI applications using foundation and large language models.
• Conduct reproducible AI experiments to produce scientific results.
• Mentor colleagues and represent the team through publications.

Skills

Python programming

R programming

Deep learning methods

Machine learning infrastructure

Collaborative teamwork

Education

PhD in Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Linux

HPC environments

Job description

We are looking for a Principal Computational Methodologist who is curious, collaborative, and impact-driven to join our Advanced Methods and Data Science team within Biometrics and Data Science, based in any of our Brussels (Belgium), Slough (UK) or Raleigh (US).

About The Role

You will help shape how advanced AI, machine learning, and computational methods support clinical development. You will design, validate, and deploy models that help teams make evidence-based decisions in areas such as biomarker discovery, clinical trial design, operational efficiency, and patient experience. You will guide scientific thinking, turn complex methods into practical solutions, and help build scalable tools that meet scientific, technical, and regulatory expectations.

Who You Will Work With

You will join Advanced Methods and Data Science, part of Biometrics and Data Science within Patient Evidence. You will work with clinical, statistical, molecular, operational, engineering, IT, governance, and compliance colleagues across countries. You will also connect with academic, technology, and industry partners. Together, you will explore new methods, share scientific learning, and support teams that use data to improve decision-making across the drug development value chain.

What You Will Do

• You will lead AI and machine learning projects that address clinical development, biomarker, operational, and decision-support needs.
• You will design, build, test, and refine modern deep learning models for text, graphs, biological sequences, and clinical data.
• You will develop generative AI applications using foundation models, pre-trained models, and large language models.
• You will run rigorous, reproducible AI experiments on internal and public datasets to generate publishable scientific results.
• You will partner with engineering teams to package methods into applications, platforms, and scalable validated solutions.
• You will mentor colleagues, share knowledge, and represent the team through publications, presentations, and external collaborations.

Interested? For this role, we are looking for the following education, experience, and skills:

• You have a PhD in Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Computational Biology, Statistical Genetics, Mathematics, or a related scientific field.
• You bring experience in industry, ideally within pharma, clinical development, life sciences, or another regulated data-focused environment.
• You can program confidently in Python, R, or similar languages, and you can support others with practical coding guidance.
• You understand supervised, unsupervised, Bayesian, and deep learning methods, and can apply them to real-world scientific questions.
• You have experience with ML infrastructure, reproducible research, Linux or HPC environments, and software or platform development.
• You communicate clearly with scientific, technical, medical, and business partners, and enjoy working in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team.

Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on [e-mail]. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.