Senior Scientist/Senior Data Scientist, Talent Accelerator Program

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme; Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Gruppe - MSD Sharp & Dohme is seeking a motivated individual to join its Talent Accelerator Program as a Senior Scientist. This role involves extensive training across various scientific domains to advance translational drug discovery at our state-of-the-art facility in Biopolis, Singapore.

The successful candidate will contribute to projects that drive innovation in drug discovery, leveraging knowledge in biology, AI, and data science to shape the future of medicines.

Qualifications

• PhD, Master's with 3-5 years, or Bachelor's with 5+ years experience.
• Strong foundation in cell biology, data science or imaging technologies.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize translational models for disease biology.
• Work cross-functionally with internal experts and external KOLs.
• Translate complex data into actionable insights to support drug discovery.

Skills

Data science

AI and machine learning

Biology

Computational biology

Experimental design

Critical thinking

Education

PhD in related field

Master’s degree with 3-5 years of experience

Bachelor’s with 5+ years of experience

Job description

Job Description

• Become a "multilingual" scientist, integrating biology, data, and AI to drive the next breakthroughs in drug discovery.
• Accelerate your career through a two-year program designed to build deep expertise and cross-disciplinary innovation.
• Turn real-world research into impact—help shape the next generation of medicines from day one.

Our Research Scientists serve as the driving force behind our Innovations. We identify and target mechanisms or pathways involved in the disease process and invent novel treatments to address unmet medical needs. This exceptionally COMPLEX task represents one of the most MULTIDISCIPLINARY endeavors in the field.

To build this capability, we are launching a Talent Accelerator Program where innovators will undergo a two‑year training. You will be part of a research‑driven environment supported by industry‑leading expertise, based in our Quantitative Biosciences team at our state‑of‑the‑art facility in Biopolis, Singapore.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

• Opportunity to shape and establish new scientific capabilities within a multidisciplinary drug discovery environment.
• Direct involvement in projects that inform pipeline decisions and translational strategy.
• Exposure to cutting‑edge technologies and global expertise, while contributing your own domain knowledge.
• A collaborative environment that supports both scientific leadership and cross‑disciplinary growth.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

This role is positioned at the Senior Scientist or Senior Specialist (Data Science) level and requires independent scientific contribution, ownership of deliverables, and the ability to translate deep expertise into organisational capability.

During the two‑year program you will start with one of the four core expert areas and then learn additional “languages” across complementary domains.

Core Technical, Scientific and Functional Expertise

Core A: Translational Science & Discovery

• Design, develop, optimise and deploy advanced translational human‑derived models to study disease biology and therapeutic mechanisms.
• Drive investigation of disease‑relevant pathways to inform target identification and validation.
• Evaluate therapeutic candidates by linking experimental findings to disease biology and clinical relevance.
• Synthesize experimental and computational insights into clear, actionable recommendations.

Core B: Spatial Omics, Imaging & Medical Technology

• Apply advanced imaging, spatial profiling and experimental technologies to generate and interpret complex datasets.
• Develop, optimise and apply assays, imaging workflows and experimental platforms in translational research.
• Translate experimental outputs into biologically meaningful insights relevant for disease understanding and therapeutic development.
• Contribute to establishing robust and reproducible experimental approaches that support downstream analysis and decision‑making.

Core C: AI/ML Model Development & Image Analysis

• Develop robust, reusable software and analytics pipelines that extend AI/ML capabilities across multiple applications.
• Apply AI/ML and advanced image‑analysis methodologies to spatial multiomics and digital pathology datasets.
• Design and implement analysis pipelines for image processing, feature extraction, segmentation and spatial pattern recognition.
• Evaluate and benchmark emerging AI/ML approaches for scientific research and decision‑making.

Core D: Multimodal Data Integration & Biomarker Discovery

• Develop frameworks to integrate multi‑modal data, including multi‑omics, clinical, imaging and biobank‑derived datasets.
• Apply big‑data modelling to uncover novel disease‑associated patterns, biomarker signatures and mechanistic insights.
• Leverage multimodal data to enable precision medicine strategies such as patient stratification.
• Build scalable and reproducible workflows for data integration, analysis and interpretation.

Cross‑disciplinary Integration & Collaboration

• Expand into complementary domains to integrate biology, technology and data science.
• Apply cross‑disciplinary knowledge to connect experimental and computational insights.
• Collaborate with internal drug development experts and external KOLs to translate findings across domains.
• Communicate insights clearly to support cross‑functional alignment and decision‑making.

Innovation & Continuous Development

• Explore and implement emerging technologies and methodologies.
• Propose and test innovative approaches to address complex scientific challenges.
• Stay current with scientific technologies and best practices to enhance experimental and analytical capabilities.

Scientific Impact & Communication

• Present data and insights clearly through presentations, reports and visualisations.
• Contribute to internal communications, project updates and potentially scientific publications or conference presentations.
• Translate complex scientific findings into concise narratives to support strategic decisions.

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE

We seek highly motivated individuals who are passionate about working at the intersection of biology, technology and data science to advance translational drug discovery, and who demonstrate strong alignment with our Enterprise Leadership Skills.

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• A strong passion and proven commitment to working across boundaries and disciplines.
• A track record of exploring solutions beyond conventional approaches.
• A well‑developed integrator mindset, demonstrated as an evidence‑supported capability.

Foundational Expertise and Domain Depth

• PhD in a relevant field or Bachelor’s with 5+ years, or Master’s with 3–5 years of relevant experience.
• Strong foundation in at least one area: cell biology/disease models, data science/statistics/computational biology, imaging technologies/analysis or omics.
• Experience in scientific innovation, experimental design, data generation or quantitative analysis (preferred).

Cross‑Disciplinary and Integrative Thinking (“Multilingual” Mindset)

• Strong interest and ability to integrate biology, technology and data science to solve complex challenges.
• Ability to work cross‑functionally and connect insights across diverse scientific domains with high learning agility and curiosity.

Scientific Impact and Innovation

• Strong critical thinking and problem‑solving skills with a data‑driven approach.
• Ability to generate, analyse and translate complex datasets into actionable biological and translational insights.
• Demonstrated initiative in experimentation, innovation and challenging conventional approaches.
• Commitment to scientific rigor, reproducibility and delivering high‑quality, decision‑enabling outcomes.

Collaboration, Ownership and Drive

• Proven ability to work effectively in cross‑functional, matrixed environment.
• Strong communication skills, able to simplify complex scientific concepts for diverse stakeholders.
• Ownership mindset, ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic setup.
• Self‑motivated, adaptable and driven with strong curiosity and passion for translational drug discovery.

Additional Information

• Please provide any of the following resources, if relevant:
  • LinkedIn profile
  • List of publications on conferences/journal, Google Scholar, bioRxiv/medRxiv
  • Innovation projects: links to patents, university spin‑off features, or technical project summary
  • For data science expertise: Github, Kaggle, Stack Overflow, Arxiv, digital portfolio link
• Shortlisted candidates will be requested to submit a 2‑min video demonstrating why Talent Accelerator Program is right for your career.

Job Posting End Date

07/25/2026

Requisition ID: R404549