Senior Data Scientist

Job Description

At our company, we are committed to improving the health and well-being of people around the world. As a leading global pharmaceutical company, we strive to make a difference through innovative research, discovery, and development of life-saving medications and vaccines. With over a century of experience and a steadfast dedication to scientific excellence, we have become a trusted name in the industry. Join our team and be a part of our mission to create a healthier future for all.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Data Scientist with a background in machine learning, statistics, data science to join our Pharmacology team in our West Point, PA site. In this role, you will be working collaboratively with our local discovery teams and other AIML & data science functions to advance therapeutic programs in Immunology, Neuroscience and Infectious Diseases/Vaccines, and to build computational pipelines that make better use of the data we generate. If you are data-focused, energetic, and looking to further develop your career in data science and drug discovery, we'd love for you to be part of our diverse and passionate team.

In this role you will:

• Work with department pharmacologists to design statistically sound experiments and critically analyze and interpret the data from these experiments to ensure the success of discovery programs in Immunology, Neuroscience and Infectious Diseases/Vaccines. 

• Help develop novel data pipelines that move, integrate and analyze diverse sources of biological data that aid in the identification of targets, profiling of therapeutic candidates or improving the chances of translation (e.g., cellular images, flow cytometry, multi-omics, deep profiling).

• Identify, develop and implement data visualization approaches that help drive decision making on program teams and manage resources for the department.

• Help wrangle and analyze unstructured and structured data that will drive new translational strategies for the company.

• Participate in the development and implementation of active learning-based approaches to drug discovery.

• Work with automation engineers and laboratory scientists to develop the infrastructure to collect and move data off of lab-based instrumentation to help facilitate downstream analyses including those implementing AIML methodologies.

• Identify, validate, and integrate new technologies or methodologies to increase efficiency and productivity, drive program progression, and facilitate clinical translation of discovery programs.

• Collaborate across the network to help guide the data transformation process and build data science infrastructure.

• Effectively communicate data analyses and computational strategies to stakeholders and management.

• Democratize computational approaches and upskill lab-based scientists to become more data science savvy.

What you will need:

• Ph.D. in Biology, Pharmacology, Data Science, Biostatistics, Computational Biology/Chemistry or other related life sciences field; or a Master’s degree in the same field with 3+ years' experience in some aspect of computational drug discovery or machine learning in a pharma or biotech setting.

• An understanding of pharmacology experiments for the purposes of drug discovery, and how to design statistically sound experiments that will help drive pipeline decisions.

• A background in statistics and machine learning.

• Experience with databases, database queries, scripting, programming and/or the use of statistics or analysis software including SQL, Prism, Python or R.

• An ability to wrangle structured and unstructured data for use in downstream data analyses.

• Experience with multiple data modalities, e.g. genomics data and/or chemical structure data, and insights on how to integrate them with other data formats and perform interpretations.

• A robust understanding of drug discovery and clinical development and experience on drug discovery programs from at least lead identification through to the delivery of a preclinical candidate.

• The ability to communicate effectively with and relate to a broad range of stakeholders, including senior leaders, peers, direct reports, partner organizations and external collaborators.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• The ability to adapt to changing priorities.

• A passion for innovation and problem-solving.

• The ideal candidate will have experience working directly with experimentalists to design and interpret experiments. This role is ideal for someone with a background in both experimental and computational lab work.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts  

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Required Skills:

Biological Sciences, Biostatistics, Cell Physiology, Communication, Computer Science, Cytometry, Data Analysis, Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Drug Discovery Process, In Vitro Pharmacology, In Vivo Pharmacology, Machine Learning, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapeutics, Pipeline Management, Software Development, Stakeholder Influence, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Statistics

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

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”.

The salary range for this role is

$126,500.00 - $199,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
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

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

10/7/2025

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