Director, Functional Genomics Data Science (Hybrid)

Merck & Co.; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 214,000 - 337,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. is seeking a Director of Data Science for Functional Genomics in Cambridge, MA. You will lead the Translational Genome Analytics team, shaping evidence generation and integration across discovery, and build computational and modeling frameworks from hit calling to multi-evidence prioritization.

You will apply cutting-edge AI/ML to accelerate decisions and turn data into actionable insights. You will architect and lead scalable analytics for CRISPR screens, single-cell perturbations,

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or higher in bioinformatics, biostatistics, computational biology, statistics, CS, math, or related field.
• At least 10 years of experience in computational biology or related quantitative science.
• Proven leadership of analytics teams and technical strategy.
• Experience analyzing large-scale NGS/functional genomics datasets.
• Proficiency with ML to analyze scRNA-seq data and extract insights.
• Experience with experimental design and integrating multi-omics data.
• Proficiency in at least one of R or Python and version control like Git.
• Familiarity with public data repositories and AWS/Linux environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable analytics frameworks for pooled, arrayed, single cell, and optical CRISPR screens.
• Lead development of functional genomics methods including perturbation screening and lineage tracing.
• Build image analysis pipelines for high-content CRISPR screens and derive biological insights.
• Integrate genomics and imaging results with transcriptomics/proteomics for target prioritization.
• Apply modern AI/ML, including LLM-powered workflows, to triage targets and synthesize evidence.
• Grow and mentor a team of scientists and drive reproducible research and FAIR data practices.

Skills

AWS

Python

R

Bioinformatics

Computational Biology

NGS Data Analysis

Machine Learning

Single-cell RNA-seq

Data Visualization

Git

Education

Ph.D. in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology/related field

Tools

Docker

Linux

Git

Job description

Merck & Co. is seeking a Director of Data Science for Functional Genomics in Cambridge, MA. You will lead the Translational Genome Analytics team, shaping evidence generation and integration across discovery, and build computational and modeling frameworks from hit calling to multi-evidence prioritization.

You will apply cutting-edge AI/ML to accelerate decisions and turn data into actionable insights. You will architect and lead scalable analytics for CRISPR screens, single-cell perturbations,