Senior Director, Data Science & AI, Data Science Lead

Job Description

Senior Director, Data Science and AI, Data Science Lead

Our Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) capabilities are vital catalysts for our mission to invent new medicines that save and enhance lives. The Data, AI, and Genome Sciences (DAGS) function at our organization adopts an AI/ML-first approach to enhance target and biomarker discovery by driving the understanding of complex disease mechanisms.

As the Senior Director of Data Science and AI, Data Science Lead you will leverage your expertise in target discovery, genomic technologies, multi-omics data integration, and disease biology to drive the development of multi-modal AI/ML modeling approaches, biological validation and insight generation for target and biomarker discovery. You will collaborate with Biologists, Computational Biologists, Data Scientists, Software Engineers, and AI/ML Scientists and Engineers as part of a cross-functional team dedicated to identifying therapeutic targets. You will report to the Executive Director and Head of AI/ML.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage, mentor, and hire outstanding data scientists responsible for driving and validating novel AI/ML approaches for target and biomarker discovery across therapeutic areas.

• Drive the development, validation and translation of cutting-edge AI/ML approaches leveraging high-throughput, deep-profiling and patient-derived tissue data to decode disease-relevant cellular interaction and cell-type specific molecular networks with the goal of novel target and biomarker discovery.

• Drive data strategy for foundation dataset for Foundation Models for disease biology discovery, collaborating with cross-functional teams to understand project goals and data requirements.

• Clearly communicate results to project teams, our company’s scientific community, and the external scientific community through internal documents, presentations, and publications in leading journals.

Required Experience and Skills:

• PhD in a relevant field such as computational biology, bioinformatics, systems biology, or a related discipline, with 12+ years of industry experience in target discovery, genomic technologies, multi-omics analysis, therapeutics sciences, and disease biology.

• A solid track record of 5+ years managing (direct or matrix) high-performing data scientists.

• Strong understanding of multi-omics data, including analysis techniques, algorithms, statistical approaches, multi-omics data integration, and relevant tools.

• Demonstrated expertise in decoding disease biology by leveraging next-generation of machine learning and statistical inference frameworks to analyze multi-modal (transcriptomics, epigenomic) and multi-scale (single cell and/or spatial) patient-derived data.

• Expertise in Python and best practices for reproducible data analysis.

• Experience with Knowledge Graphs, including graph databases and query languages, would be advantageous.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.

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

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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.

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Current Employees apply HERE

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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”.

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:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

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:

04/17/2025

*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.