Principal Scientist – AI-Reasoning for Drug Discovery

Johnson Johnson; New Brunswick (NJ); On-site; USD 117,000 - 201,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation 120 hours/year

Sick time 40 hours/year

Parental Leave 480 hours/year

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine seeks a Principal Scientist to lead AI-driven drug discovery initiatives at Spring House, PA. You will design and deploy advanced AI methods, drive reliable reasoning across discovery-to-development, and mentor researchers advancing multimodal data insights.

You will collaborate across platforms to validate scientific results, publish impactful findings, and contribute to strategic directions in AI for healthcare breakthroughs.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in AI/ML or related field with 2+ years experience.
• Strong background in Bayesian inference and uncertainty quantification.
• Proficiency with LangGraph, DSPy, mem0 and DL frameworks.
• Excellent Python programming for scalable solutions.
• Experience leading small research teams.

Responsibilities

• Pioneer breakthrough multimodal AI systems that synthesize scientific data into actionable insights.
• Architect next-generation agent memory systems for context-aware decisions across the discovery-to-development pipeline.
• Define the future of AI reliability in R&D and set standards for trustworthy AI-driven reasoning.
• Translate AI/ML frontiers into transformative drug-discovery applications and mentor teams.
• Benchmark AI agents against top experts and publish paradigm-shifting findings.

Skills

Bayesian inference

Uncertainty quantification

Agentic frameworks

Python programming

Leadership

Education

Ph.D. in AI/ML or related fields

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

At Johnson & Johnson,we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

Job Function

Job Sub Function

Job Category

All Job Posting Locations

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America, Raritan, New Jersey, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America

Job Description

About Innovative Medicine

Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.

Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.

Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (J&J IM) is recruiting for the role of "Principal Scientist – AI-Reasoning for Drug Discovery".

The primary location for this role is Spring House, PA.

Other possible locations are:

• Horsham, Pennsylvania,
• Cambridge, Massachusetts,
• New Brunswick, Raritan or Titusville, New Jersey

J&J IM develops treatments that improve the health and well-being of people worldwide. Research and development areas encompass oncology, cardiovascular and retina disorders, immunology, and neuroscience. Our goal is to help people live longer and healthier lives. We have produced and marketed many first-in-class prescription medications and are poised to serve the broad needs of the healthcare market – from patients to practitioners and from clinics to hospitals. To learn more about J&J IM, please visit https://www.jnj.com/.

Key Responsibilities

• Pioneer breakthrough multimodal AI systems that synthesize scientific data into actionable scientific insights which accelerate drug discovery
• Architect next-generation agent memory systems that establish how AI retains knowledge and makes context-aware decisions, creating persistent intelligence that evolves across the entire discovery-to-development pipeline
• Define the future of AI reliability in R&D by orchestrating groundbreaking research in uncertainty quantification and establishing new standards for trustworthy AI-driven scientific reasoning
• Shape the scientific vision as an inspiring leader, translating emerging AI/ML frontiers into transformative applications while mentoring teams to push the boundaries of what's possible in computational drug discovery
• Drive scientific validation and impact by rigorously benchmarking AI agents against top human experts and state-of-the-​art methods, with the opportunity to publish paradigm-shifting findings in premier venues.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in AI/ML or related fields (computer science, machine learning, data science, applied mathematics, statistics) with 2+ years of proven experience
• Deep expertise in sophisticated mathematical frameworks including Bayesian inference, uncertainty quantification, information theory, causal inference, graph neural networks, and related methodologies that advance the field of agentic reasoning
• Proficiency with agentic frameworks (LangGraph, DSPy, mem0) and deep learning platforms (PyTorch, TensorFlow), and extend these tools for novel scientific applications
• Exceptional Python programming skills, capable of architecting scalable solutions that bridge innovation and production deployment
• The ability to lead small teams of researchers to achieve success in their work.

Preferred ("nice-to-have") Qualifications

• Understanding of drug discovery pipeline and familiarity with biological data types
• Strong understanding of statistics and applicable methods to validate model performance
• Familiarity with cloud hosting solutions (ex. AWS and/or Azure)

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson and Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, please email the Employee Health Support Center ([e-mail]) or contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

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Required Skills

Advanced Analytics, Coaching, Critical Thinking, Data Analysis, Data Privacy Standards, Data Quality, Data Reporting, Data Savvy, Data Science, Data Visualization, Digital Fluency, Econometric Models, Organizing, Process Improvements, Strategic Thinking, Technical Credibility, Workflow Analysis

Preferred Skills:

Advanced Analytics, Coaching, Critical Thinking, Data Analysis, Data Privacy Standards, Data Quality, Data Reporting, Data Savvy, Data Science, Data Visualization, Digital Fluency, Econometric Models, Organizing, Process Improvements, Strategic Thinking, Technical Credibility, Workflow Analysis

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$117,000.00 - $201,250.00

Additional Description For Pay Transparency

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).

Benefits

• Vacation –120 hours per calendar year
• Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year
• Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year
• Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
• Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child
• Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year
• Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period10 days
• Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
• Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year

For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: - https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits