Senior Scientist, AI Lead

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine; Malvern (Chester County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine in Malvern, PA, is seeking a Senior Scientist, AI Lead to drive applied AI solutions across Cell & Gene Therapy. You will translate scientific needs into AI use cases, lead cross-functional teams, and partner with internal and external stakeholders to accelerate pharma innovation.

The role requires a strong scientific foundation in engineering or biology, plus hands-on AI experience and a proven track record delivering impactful AI initiatives in a biotech

Qualifications

• BS in core science/engineering with 4+ years in AI or data science.
• 2+ years delivering AI/ML initiatives; pharma experience preferred.
• Proven leadership of complex AI projects from use-case to implementation.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional AI projects supporting Cell & Gene Therapy priorities.
• Translate scientific challenges into AI use cases and requirements.
• Establish external partnerships and advance AI roadmap.

Skills

AI strategy

Project leadership

Cross-functional

Communication

Biochemical Eng

Education

BS in science/engineering

Tools

Python

R

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

At Johnson & Johnson,we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build aworld where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured,where treatments are smarter and less invasive, andsolutions 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:

Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, 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

We are searching for the best talent for Senior Scientist, AI Lead to join our Cell and Gene Therapy Team located in Malvern, PA.

Purpose

As an applied AI generalist, you will catalyst change by inspiring scientists and engineers to adopt innovative AI solutions and will play a critical role in shaping the future of our Cell and Gene R&D engine, ensuring we remain at the forefront of pharma development and AI integration. You use your strong scientific background in chemical engineering, biochemistry or related scientific fields to link scientific challenges, needs & opportunities across our development functions to cutting-edge AI solutions. As an AI solution lead, you start from the scientific challenge i.e. ‘the what’ and not the exact technical AI tooling on how to achieve “the how”. You navigate both internal and external AI networks & partners and you will be the driving force to innovate how we work and develop our Cell and Gene portfolio through AI.

You have a broad understanding of the AI technology field such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, Reinforcement Learning, Generative models, Expert Systems etc. and can relate this to fairness of data, data & information bias, explainability and the implications of autonomous decision-making.

We invite you to be a part in shaping and redefining the future of Cell and Gene therapy. You will be surrounded by passionate scientists & digital leaders and your contributions can truly make a difference!

You Will Be Responsible For

Lead and Deliver Applied AI Solutions

• Lead cross-functional AI projects supporting Cell & Gene Therapy development priorities. Define project scope, plans, resources, milestones, decision points, and measurable success criteria.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and external partners; manage risks, dependencies, decisions, and stakeholder communication.
• Lead the design, prototype, test, and iteration of AI solutions across machine learning, generative and agentic AI, natural language processing, computer vision, knowledge graphs, predictive analytics, and AI-enabled digital twins.
• Evaluate solutions for model performance, scientific validity, usability, reliability, and business value.
• Integrate successful solutions into scientific workflows, data platforms, digital twins, and automated laboratory environments with reuse and scale in mind.
• Embed responsible AI and lifecycle practices, including fit-for-purpose validation, transparency, privacy, security, governance, human oversight, performance monitoring, and clear communication of model limitations.

Translate Scientific Challenges into AI Use Cases

• Partner with process development, analytical, manufacturing, and business teams to identify scientific and operational challenges that could benefit from AI.
• Translate domain needs into clear AI use cases, user requirements, data needs, and expected outcomes.
• Assess use cases based on scientific value, business impact, data readiness, technical feasibility, risk, and scalability.
• Serve as a key interface between scientific subject matter experts, data science, and technology teams.

Build Partnerships and Advance the AI Portfolio

• Establish productive relationships with internal data science teams, technology partners, academic collaborators, and vendors.
• Bring external developments and best practices into the organization while avoiding fragmented or duplicative solutions.
• Contribute to prioritization and evolution of the Cell & Gene Therapy AI roadmap.

Drive Adoption and Measurable Impact

• Define and track adoption, scientific impact, cycle-time, quality, and efficiency measures.
• Share outcomes, lessons learned, and reusable practices to accelerate adoption across the organization.
• Promote a culture in which AI augments scientific expertise and accelerates learning while preserving appropriate human judgment.

Qualifications

Required:

• A minimum of a BS degree in a core science or engineering field, including biology, chemistry, chemical/biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline, with at least 4 years of relevant experience; OR an MS or equivalent with at least 2 years of relevant experience; OR a PhD or equivalent with 0-1 year of relevant experience is required.
• A minimum of 2 years of academic or industry experience delivering AI, machine learning, data science, or AI solution architecture initiatives. Experience applying these approaches to pharmaceutical or life sciences problems is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex projects from use-case definition through implementation.
• Working knowledge of multiple AI approaches, such as supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, generative AI, large language models, agentic AI, natural language processing, computer vision, knowledge graphs, reinforcement learning, or hybrid modeling.
• Ability to translate scientific questions into AI solution requirements and translate technical outputs into actionable scientific or business decisions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence diverse audiences.
• Strategic insight, strong personal leadership skills, detail oriented and a record of effective collaboration with diverse team members

Preferred

• Hands-on experience developing or prototyping AI/ML solutions using Python, R, or comparable tools.
• Experience with generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation, AI agents, multimodal models, or scientific knowledge graphs.
• Experience with process modeling, mechanistic or hybrid modeling, predictive analytics, optimization, or AI-enabled digital twins.
• Experience integrating AI with laboratory data, scientific software, connected equipment, or automated workflows.
• Experience assessing model performance, data quality, explainability, limitations, and fit-for-purpose use.
• Experience working in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, Cell & Gene Therapy, biologics development, or a related scientific environment.
• Domestic and international travel up to 15%

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 & 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, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers , internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

If you are under 18 years of age you (the candidate) may need to obtain the necessary working papers or other documentation required by state law to start the assignment, as well as get a parent’s consent for the background check.

Required Skills

Analytical Reasoning, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Coaching, Consulting, Critical Thinking, Drug Discovery Development, Emerging Technologies, Molecular Diagnostics, Pharmacogenetics, Pharmacovigilance, Process Improvements, Quality Assurance (QA), Relationship Building, Research Documents, Scientific Research, Technologically Savvy

Preferred Skills

Analytical Reasoning, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Coaching, Consulting, Critical Thinking, Drug Discovery Development, Emerging Technologies, Molecular Diagnostics, Pharmacogenetics, Pharmacovigilance, Process Improvements, Quality Assurance (QA), Relationship Building, Research Documents, Scientific Research, Technologically Savvy