M

Merck

Makes medicines, vaccines and animal treatments

Postdoctoral Fellow: Immunogenicity Prediction

InternshipUpdated on 10/23/2026Deadline 11/5/26
$82k - $92k+ Annual bonus + Long-term incentive
PhD
West Point, PA, USA
In PersonTravel requirements are 10%.
Biology & BiotechQuantitative Biology & Biostatistics
H1B Sponsorship Available

About the job

Requirements
  • Must currently hold a PhD or receive a PhD no later than spring 2027, in computational immunology, computational biology, computational chemistry, structural biology, bioinformatics, or a closely related field.
  • Have strong hands-on experience with co-folding models such as AlphaFold2 or Boltz2, multimer modeling, or related structure-based computational methods.
  • Have experience with molecular dynamics simulation and analysis of biomolecular systems, complexes, or conformational behavior.
  • Have strong software development skills in Python and modern deep-learning frameworks such as PyTorch, with sound practices in version control, reproducibility, and scientific computing.
  • Have working knowledge of immunology relevant to immunogenicity prediction, including antigen processing and presentation, MHC/HLA biology, CD4+ T-cell recognition, and anti-drug antibody responses.
  • Be comfortable working in high-performance computing, GPU, and cloud computing environments.
  • Have scientific communication skills and a strong first-author publication record.
Responsibilities
  • Curate, integrate, and harmonize biological, structural, and clinical datasets from public and internal sources into reproducible analysis workflows.
  • Develop computational methods for immunogenicity prediction by integrating sequence, structural, and experimental data.
  • Apply structure-based modeling and simulation approaches to characterize biomolecular interactions and conformational behavior relevant to immune recognition.
  • Build and benchmark multimodal machine-learning models that combine sequence, structural, and tabular data into robust, calibrated predictors.
  • Evaluate model performance against established approaches and assess generalizability across therapeutic modalities.
  • Contribute to first-author manuscripts and scientific presentations at internal forums and external conferences.
  • Collaborate with computational, biology, and experimental scientists, and deliver reproducible, well-documented code, analyses, and models.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience applying computational methods to immunology, structural biology, or protein science problems.
  • Familiarity with antigen processing and presentation, MHC/HLA biology, or related immune recognition concepts.
  • Experience with data integration, biological dataset curation, and programmatic workflows using public resources and APIs.
  • Familiarity with uncertainty quantification, model calibration, and rigorous benchmarking.
  • Familiarity with biotherapeutic developability, protein engineering, or related optimization concepts.
  • Exposure to immunoinformatics, peptide modeling, or related predictive methods.

About the company

Merck develops prescription medicines, vaccines and veterinary treatments for patients, health systems and animal owners worldwide. Its vaccine portfolio includes Gardasil 9, which helps prevent cancers and other diseases caused by several types of human papillomavirus. The company takes potential treatments through laboratory research and clinical trials, then manufactures and sells approved products to drug distributors, hospitals, physicians and governments. Its animal health division sells medicines and vaccines to veterinarians, farmers and pet owners, while selected drug partnerships also earn shared profits or royalties. Founded in 1891, Merck is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Rahway, New Jersey

Founded

1891

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • U.S. employees build retirement benefits: Merck pairs a defined benefit pension with a matching 401(k).
  • Scientists work within a large research network: Merck reports approximately 24,700 employees in R&D.
  • Animal health adds growth: August 2026 results report Q2 sales of $1.8 billion, up 8% year over year.

What critics are saying

  • Job security faces cuts: Merck's active restructuring program eliminates roles and shrinks its global real estate footprint.
  • Keytruda protection narrows: its main U.S. patent expires in 2028, with additional patents expiring in 2029.
  • Revenue is concentrated: August 2026 results show Keytruda products generated $8.4 billion of Merck's $16.6 billion Q2 sales.

What makes Merck unique

  • Merck extends into farm technology: SenseHub continuously monitors livestock for behavioral and physiological changes.
  • Merck publishes open medical knowledge: its Manuals give clinicians and patients free online references.
  • Merck's donation commitment is open-ended: Mectizan supplies for river blindness continue for as long as needed.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

-19%

1 year growth

-20%

2 year growth

-20%
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