Associate Director, Data Science, Precision Disease Genetics

Job Description

The Complex Disease Genetics group within the Data, AI and Genome Sciences (DAGS) Department at our Company is seeking an accomplished Associate Director /Associate Principal Data Scientist to advance our Cambridge-based research initiatives in complex disease genetics. We invite applications from highly motivated scientists with a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) in statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, computational biology, biostatistics, or a related discipline. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a robust track record in research and publication, expertise in large-scale human genetics and multi-omics analyses, and a passion for translational research in drug discovery and precision medicine.

As a member of the Precision Disease Genetics group, you will leverage advanced statistical genetics methodologies to analyze large-scale public and proprietary datasets, including population-based biobanks, deeply phenotyped patient cohorts, and family-based studies, which encompass genetic and genomic data linked with electronic health records, clinical, biomarker, imaging, and clinical laboratory data.

Our Company has strategically invested in external partnerships and collaborative initiatives to accelerate innovation in drug discovery and development. The Complex Disease Genetics group is aiming to leverage these world-class resources, including FinnGen, the Alliance for Genomic Discovery, Our Future Health, UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, Open Targets, and a range of other public and proprietary datasets, to advance our Company's drug development pipeline through cutting-edge human genetics research.

Your research will directly inform our Company's drug development pipeline, supporting target identification and validation and the implementation of precision medicine strategies across therapeutic areas. You will have the opportunity to lead and shape collaborative research efforts, both internally and with external academic and industry partners, to drive innovation and maximize the translational impact of human genetics on drug development.

In this exciting role, you will:

• Execute advanced statistical genetics analyses for target discovery, validation, and precision medicine using human genetics, multi-omics, and real-world data to deliver reproducible results

• Design, implement, and optimize standardized analytical pipelines that can be updated and maintained overtime and enable rapid discovery and replication cycles

• Conduct common and rare genetic association analyses using large-scale population-based biobank data (e.g., UK Biobank, FinnGen, Our Future Health, Alliance for Genomic Discovery, etc.)

• Utilize and integrate public summary statistics and perform meta-analyses to maximize statistical power

• Perform post-GWAS analyses to elucidate causal mechanisms and prioritize gene targets (e.g., fine mapping, colocalization, Mendelian Randomization, TWAS, heritability and genetic correlation estimation, pathway and functional enrichment analysis, polygenic risk prediction, etc.)

• Integrate genetic association findings with multi-omics data (e.g., RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, QTLs, etc.) to construct multi-layered evidence for target prioritization and mechanistic understanding

• Stay at the forefront of methodological innovation in statistical genetics, evaluating and implementing emerging analytical techniques

• Drive cross-functional projects and ensure timely delivery of high-impact scientific results to support pipelines

• Collaborate closely with wet-lab biologists, disease area experts, and data scientists to evaluate therapeutic hypotheses and support patient stratification strategies.

• Effectively communicate scientific findings to internal project teams, the broader scientific community at our Company, and externally through high-impact publications and presentations at conferences

Required Experience and Skills:

• PhD (or equivalent) in statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, computational biology, biostatistics, or a related quantitative discipline, with a minimum of 3 years of postdoctoral or equivalent research experience in complex disease genetics

• Will consider candidates with either genetics/genomics background or real-world data background

• Demonstrated expertise and working experience in large-scale statistical genetics and genomics analyses, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), rare variant association analyses, post-GWAS and multi-omics analysis (e.g., fine mapping, colocalization, Mendelian Randomization, TWAS, etc.), and polygenic prediction

• Ability to implement and apply analytical pipelines for the large-scale human genetic and multi-omics datasets, following to best practices for reproducibility and scalability

• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in statistical genetics research (e.g., R, Python, etc.)

• Experience working with cloud-based computing environments and high-performance computing clusters

• Expertise in working with complex phenotype and/or real-world data, such as electronic health records (EHRs), image data, digital biomarkers, etc.

• Expertise in working with molecular phenotypes, such as transcriptomics (bulk, single-cell, spatial), proteomics, etc.

• Strong record of scientific achievement, such as publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and presentations at leading scientific conferences

• Familiarity with the pharmaceutical drug discovery and development process, and application of statistical genetics and genomics in drug development

• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams, including statistical geneticists, biologists, clinicians, and data scientists

Preferred Experience and Skills:​

• Subject-matter knowledge in neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, immunology or other complex diseases

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:

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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

$156,500.00 - $246,300.00

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

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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

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Required Skills:

Biobank, Biobank, Biostatistics, Collaborative Research, Computational Biology, Data Analysis, Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems, Genetic Epidemiology, Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS), Genomics, Human Genetics, Machine Learning, Omics, Precision Medicine (PM), Proteomics, Real World Data, Real World Evidence (RWE), RNA Sequencing, Social Collaboration {+ 2 more}

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

06/16/2025

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