Senior Specialist, Data Science

Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a motivated informatician to join a dynamic team in the heart of Cambridge. This role offers the chance to work on innovative AI/ML and cheminformatics methods that drive drug discovery and improve patient outcomes. Collaborate with a diverse group of experts and leverage cutting-edge technology to make a significant impact in the field of medicine. If you are passionate about computational approaches and eager to contribute to groundbreaking projects, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in cheminformatics or bioinformatics in drug discovery.
• Proven track record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience in multidisciplinary teams with experimental scientists.

Responsibilities

• Implement AI/ML workflows to impact early target discovery.
• Analyze complex chemical biology data and communicate findings.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance project goals.

Skills

Cheminformatics

Bioinformatics

AI/ML

Data Science

Problem-Solving

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's in Cheminformatics

Master's in Cheminformatics

Ph.D. in Cheminformatics

Tools

Python

R

SQL

TensorFlow

Keras

Pandas

Scikit-Learn

Pipeline Pilot

Knime

Spotfire

Job description

Job Description

We are seeking an exceptional and highly motivated informatician to join the Cheminformatics group within Modeling and Informatics (M&I) at our Boston/Cambridge, MA. This role requires strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills and experience working in a cross-functional team environment. It involves both the development of innovative computational methods involving AI/ML and cheminformatics, as well as direct application of advanced computational approaches to the invention of novel medicines.

M&I is a diverse and inclusive team within the Research Laboratories Discovery Chemistry organization, comprising approximately 60 computational chemists, cheminformaticians, and data scientists. We leverage cutting-edge capabilities in structure-based modeling, predictive science, and AI/ML to drive drug design and development globally, with a proven track record of pipeline impact. The selected candidate will work closely with the M&I team, our world-class chemistry teams, as well cross-functionally with experimental and computational colleagues in the early target discovery space on innovative science that has a wealth of opportunities to impact drug discovery and ultimately save and improve patient lives.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Implement and apply effective AI/ML, cheminformatics, and bioinformatics workflows to impact early target discovery.

• Leverage novel ML, statistics, and informatics techniques to improve tool compound selection, library design, hit identification, and target prioritization

• Analyze, interpret, and summarize complex chemical biology and high throughput biology data and utilize a variety of data visualization tools to communicate findings.

• Analyze and integrate internal and external knowledge to facilitate biological and chemical signature identification and enable biomarker discovery.

• Deliver optimized informatics algorithms and workflows to expedite data analysis pipelines in the early target discovery space for small molecules and other modalities.

• Continue research in areas of AI/ML and cheminformatics relevant to drug discovery, and evaluate new technology from commercial sources, open innovation, or external collaborations.

• Effectively communicate scientific results internally and externally through presentations and publications.

• Share AI/ML and/or data engineering knowledge to augment team skills and capabilities.

• Proactively engage with cross-functional teams of experimental and computational scientists and collaborate effectively to advance project and pipeline goals

Position Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's (with 7 years), Master's (with 4 years) or Ph.D. in cheminformatics, bioinformatics, computational chemistry, computational biology, chemical engineering, or related fields and relevant experience listed below

Required Experience and Skills:

• Experience applying cheminformatics, bioinformatics or AI/ML approaches to problem-solving in drug discovery.

• Broad understanding of modern data science methods, particularly machine learning, e.g., predictive modeling, explainable ML.

• Strong oral and written communication skills, as well as problem-solving skills.

• Track record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.

• Proficiency in scripting (Python and/or R), SQL, cheminformatics and bioinformatics toolkits.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and apply AI/ML to problems of chemical or biological interest

• Experience with IT infrastructure such as database systems, cloud computing (such as Databricks, AWS), and high-performance computing in Linux environments

• Expertise in machine learning libraries (TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, Pandas, Scikit-Learn).

• Experience with workflow applications and data analytics software (Pipeline Pilot, Knime, Spotfire).

• Experience with high-throughput image-based screening data analysis methods.

• Experience in chemical and biological signature identification and/or biomarker discovery.

• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams that include experimental scientists.

#EligibleforERP

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Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

San Francisco Residents Only:We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only:We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

Domestic/International

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

No

Required Skills:

Business Intelligence (BI), Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Software Development, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Waterfall Model

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

05/31/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R348348