Senior Scientist, Digital Lab & Data Systems

Merck; West Point (PA); Hybrid; USD 117,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Merck is hiring a Senior Scientist in the Development Sciences and Clinical Supply (DSCS) Digital Technologies team to accelerate pharmaceutical development through data-rich, connected lab environments. The role focuses on integrating laboratory automation, data pipelines, and AI-ready data ecosystems across small molecule, biologics, and vaccines portfolios.

The candidate will advance automated, connected laboratories, collaborating with automation, IT, and R&D teams to deliver scalable

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering, Physics, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science, or closely related field with expected graduation by Dec 2026.
• MS in same fields with at least 2 years of relevant experience.
• BS in same fields with at least 4 years of relevant experience.
• Proficient in Python and/or R; comfortable with development environments like Jupyter, Posit/RStudio, or VS Code.
• Experience with ETL/ELT and data pipelines in a scientific/pharmaceutical context.
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub and collaborative software development practices.
• Understanding of (bio)pharmaceutical process R&D, drug product development, and/or analytical development.
• Excellent communication, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Connect the ecosystem by integrating instrument platforms with semantic context and data systems for end-to-end digital workflows.
• Collaborate across automation, data science, IT, and chemistry communities to translate experiments into scalable digital workflows.
• Lead high-impact projects from concept to deployment across cross-functional teams.
• Design the lab of the future by building automation systems that unify robotics, instrumentation, and software.
• Improve existing automation platforms for better performance, usability, and reliability.
• Provide hands-on partnership, troubleshooting, and training to scientists using these technologies.

Skills

Python/R

ETL/ELT

Git/GitHub

Communication

Team collaboration

Entrepreneurial mindset

Publications/presentations

Data science

Scientific data management

Education

Ph.D. in Chemistry/Engineering/Biology/Pharmaceutical Sciences

MS in related field with 2+ years experience

BS in related field with 4+ years experience

Tools

Python

R

Jupyter

Posit/RStudio

VS Code

Job description

Merck is hiring a Senior Scientist in the Development Sciences and Clinical Supply (DSCS) Digital Technologies team to accelerate pharmaceutical development through data-rich, connected lab environments. The role focuses on integrating laboratory automation, data pipelines, and AI-ready data ecosystems across small molecule, biologics, and vaccines portfolios.

The candidate will advance automated, connected laboratories, collaborating with automation, IT, and R&D teams to deliver scalable