Director, Statistical Genetics

Bristol Myers Squibb; Needham (MA); On-site; USD 240,000 - 291,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Coverage

Wellbeing Programs

401(k) plan

Job summary

Bris­tol Myers Squibb (BMS) seeks a senior Statistical Genetics leader to drive causal mechanism discovery from human genetics. You will head the Target Sciences team within IPS, collaborating across discovery and translational efforts to align genetics insights with disease biology and drug target prioritization.

The role emphasizes integrating omics and large-scale genetic data, leading multi-disciplinary teams, and communicating findings through internal forums and external publications.

Qualifications

• PhD in statistical genetics or related field.
• 8+ years postdoctoral research and/or industry experience preferred.
• 6+ years leadership experience.
• Experience applying genetics to drug discovery.
• Advanced knowledge of GWAS, Mendelian randomization, colocalization, polygenic risk scores.
• Proficiency in R or Python.

Responsibilities

• Drive design and implementation of computational strategy to infer causal mechanisms driving disease using human genetics and other data types (e.g. Mendelian randomization with proteomics, TWAS, colocalization).
• Lead team to perform cross-biobank analyses focused on identifying mechanisms underlying human genetic risk factors (eQTL mapping, scRNAseq).
• Coordinate with stakeholders across research to enable discovery using germline genetics in neuro, immunology, and cardiovascular disease.
• Evaluate and prioritize multi-modal datasets to understand causal human biology of priority disease areas.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to nominate, evaluate, and advance novel drug targets.
• Communicate findings in meetings and external publications.

Skills

Leadership experience

R or Python programming

Statistical genetics

Genetics-to-drug-discovery

GWAS

Mendelian randomization

Colocalization

Polygenic risk scores

Multi-disciplinary team leadership

Functional genomics familiarity

Education

PhD in statistical genetics

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Tools

R

Python

Job description

Working with Us
Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You’ll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us.

Director, Statistical Genetics

When you join BMS, you are joining a high-achieving team united by a common mission.

The Informatics and Predictive Sciences (IPS) mission is to Pioneer, Partner and Predict to drive transformative insights for patient benefit. IPS conducts applied computational research in areas that include genomic, structural and molecular informatics, computational and systems biology, patient selection and translational biomarker research, and broader fields including knowledge science, epidemiology and machine learning—across the full lifecycle of drug discovery and development and across all therapeutic areas at BMS. We do this in close partnership with scientific and clinical experts in the field, both inside and outside the company. We perform innovative science to empower key data-driven decisions across a rich pipeline of next-generation medicines. In doing so, our work transforms the lives of patients, as well as our own lives and careers.

Here, you’ll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities that are uncommon in scale and scope. You’ll pursue innovative ideas while advancing professionally alongside some of the brightest minds in biopharma.

We seek a talented statistical genetics expert to lead the Target Sciences team by designing, implementing, and overseeing efforts to use innovative approaches to systematically define mechanisms driving disease risk due to genetics. This role will sit within Informatics & Predictive Sciences, a globally distributed group driving innovative computational research for discovery and early development within BMS research.

A key focus will be aligning with disease area strategy to impact drug discovery and translational efforts using insights from causal human biology. This will include leading “variant to gene to function” efforts by integrating ‘omics data (scRNAseq, spatial, proteomics) and other functional data with genetic data from large scale cohorts. It will also include synthesizing and communicating key findings at cross-functional meetings.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to impact human health through innovative human genomics research. It is also an opportunity to work closely with the broader scientific community through pre-competitive collaborations (e.g. FinnGen, UK Biobank, UK Genes & Health, Alliance for Genomic Discovery), and to publish and present industry-leading work in this area.

Location: Cambridge, MA

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Drive design and implementation of computational strategy to infer causal mechanisms driving disease using human genetics and other data types (e.g. Mendelian randomization with proteomics, TWAS, colocalization)
• Lead team to perform cross-biobank analyses focused on identifying mechanisms underlying human genetic risk factors (e.g. LD score regression, eQTL mapping, scRNAseq)
• Lead team and coordinate with stakeholders across research to facilitate the use of germline genetics for discovery in neuro, immunology, and cardiovascular disease.
• Evaluate and prioritize multi-modal, disease-specific datasets that will enable deep understanding of causal human biology of priority disease areas
• Coordinate with stakeholders across research to nominate, evaluate, and advance novel drug targets
• Communicate findings and recommend follow up actions in multiple settings (including 1:1, seminars, project meetings, and external publications)

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree with 15+ years of academic / industry experience
• Or Master’s Degree with 12+ years of academic / industry experience
• Or PhD with 8+ years of academic / industry experience
• 6+ years leadership experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in statistical genetics or a related computational/quantitative discipline field with
• 8+ or more years of relevant postdoctoral research and/or industry experience preferred
• Experience in leading efforts to apply genetics to drug discovery
• Deep scientific expertise in application of statistical genetic methods (GWAS, exWAS, Mendelian Randomizaiton, colocalization, polygenic risk scores)
• Advanced hands‑on knowledge of at least one high-level programming language such as R or Python
• Familiarity with functional genomics preferred
• Demonstrated ability to advance multi-disciplinary team projects required
• Managerial and mentorship experience in an industry setting required

Compensation Overview:

Cambridge Crossing: $239,890 - $290,687

The starting compensation range(s) for this role are listed above for a full-time employee (FTE) basis. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. The starting pay rate takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills, where the job is performed, the employee’s work schedule, job-related knowledge, and experience. Final, individual compensation will be decided based on demonstrated experience.

Eligibility for specific benefits listed on our careers site may vary based on the job and location. For more on benefits, please visit https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.

Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans in effect at the time and may require enrollment. Our benefits include:

• Health Coverage: Medical, pharmacy, dental and vision care.
• Wellbeing Support: Programs such as BMS Well-Being Account, BMS Living Life Better, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).
• Financial Well-being and Protection: 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection, personal liability protection, identity theft benefit, legal support, and survivor support.

Work-life benefits include:

Paid Time Off

• US Exempt Employees: flexible time off (unlimited, with manager approval, 11 paid national holidays (not applicable to employees in Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico or Rayzebio employees)
• Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico and Rayzebio Exempt, Non-Exempt, Hourly Employees: 160 hours annual paid vacation for new hires with manager approval, 11 national holidays, and 3 optional holidays

Based on eligibility*, additional time off for employees may include unlimited paid sick time, up to 2 paid