Associate Principal Scientist (Associate Director), Bioinformatics, Translational Biomarkers Discovery Neuroscience

Job Description

Our Company has a rapidly growing interdisciplinary team of scientists in London and has recently established ‘Skylab’, a new laboratory space at the Francis Crick Institute. This will complement the construction of a new state-of the-art Research and Discovery Centre in London’s ‘Knowledge Quarter’ opposite King’s Cross Railway station. Our new site will employ circa 800 people across our research and commercial divisions.

To deliver on our mission of turning breakthrough science into meaningful and impactful medicines, we have established a new Translational Biomarker Group within Global Neuroscience Discovery.  This team of laboratory and data scientists will drive scientific innovation in biomarker research to translate drug discovery programmes into the clinic for neurodegenerative disease, pain, and psychiatric disorders.  Working collaboratively with discovery and clinical scientists, our biomarker experts will apply cutting edge lab technologies and bioinformatics tools to discover biomarkers that help determine the optimal dose and biological effects of our drugs and identify patients who are most likely to respond to treatment. This will allow our company to make progress in the battle against some of the most challenging diseases of the nervous system.

We are seeking a highly motivated Associate Principal Scientist (Associate Director level) , Bioinformatics, Translational Biomarkers, Discovery Neuroscience to be based in Kings Cross, London.

Role overview:

In this newly established role, you will report to the Head of Neuroscience Discovery and will join a team of Global experts to lead Biomarker research projects. You will combine your understanding of disease biology, wet-lab biomarker assay methods and expertise in bioinformatics to discover and validate disease- and target- relevant biomarkers.

What you will do:

• You will lead biomarker studies, setting experimental strategy and interrogating high quality internal and external clinical and ‘omics’ data to address biomarker questions for drug discovery programmes,
• You will guide wet lab scientists on experimental design of ‘multi-omics’ studies for analysis of biomarkers in clinical samples and preclinical models.  You will take the lead on analysis of lab data, from batch correction across studies to the application of bioinformatics tools to deliver results and final conclusions.
• You will integrate internal and external biomarker datasets from clinical studies into internal databases. You will define and follow best practices for curating, standardising, and integrating diverse clinical and biological data sets in a format suitable for bioinformatic analysis.
• You will contribute to the development and refinement of biomarker-defined disease models for neurodegenerative diseases, working in close collaboration with neurobiologists, statisticians, clinicians, AI/ML experts and other data science experts.
• Lead collaborations with internal research teams, CROs, academic collaborators, disease consortia and biobanks.
• Give presentations at internal meetings and externally at conferences.
• Contribute to internal scientific reports as required and publish science in high quality journals.

What you will need to be successful in this role:

Qualifications:

• PhD or Master’s degree in a biological science with a background in ‘wet lab’ science and significant experience applying bioinformatics tools to analyse large, complex data types for drug target or biomarker discovery.

Required Experience:

• Experience in leading translational biomarker projects within a pharmaceutical biotech or academic environment. Ability to apply knowledge of biological mechanisms of disease to develop new biomarker hypotheses.
• Experience in the design and analysis of muti-omics wet-lab biomarker studies, with an understanding of the assay methods typically used for biomarker research.
• Experience curating, standardizing and integrating diverse clinical and biological data sets from a variety of external and internal sources in a format suitable for bioinformatic analysis.
• Experience with the use of computational methods to integrate, analyse and interpret diverse clinical and laboratory data sets such as biofluid measurements, imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc for disease target or biomarker discovery.
• Experience of working collaboratively on research projects with wet-lab scientists, statisticians, clinicians, AI/ML experts and other data science experts.

Desired Experience:

• Background in neuroscience therapy areas such as neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders and/or pain disorders.
• Fluent in common scripting and/or programming language (e.g., R, Python).
• Familiarity with public domain data sources and programmatic interfaces.
• Experience working with external academic, biotechnology, and contract research organizations

Skills/Competencies:

• Impacts programs through critical thinking and timely data-driven decision making.
• Self-motivated and resourceful with a demonstrated ability to generate robust data outputs in a timely manner
• Well-developed oral and written communication skills, with an ability to communicate scientific and technical information effectively to non-experts in bioinformatics.
• Works effectively across functional areas and has a keen ability to engage internal and external team members in collaborative research.
• Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning and applying new data science methods and workflows. 
• Contributing to the research community through publication and conference presentation
• Passion for innovation and problem-solving.

Your role at our company is integral to helping the world meet new breakthroughs that affect generations to come, and we’re counting on your skills and inventiveness to help make meaningful contributions to global medical advancement. At our company, we’re inventing for life. 

Closing date for applications: 4th November

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we “follow the science” that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. We believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe. We identify and target steps in disease mechanisms or pathways that could be inhibited or enhanced. Our goal is to identify a compound that is effective against a disease target. Using innovative thinking, state-of-the-art facilities and robust scientific methodology we collaborate to discover the next medical breakthrough.

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively for the common good. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. 

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Secondary Language(s) Job Description:

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:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Required Skills:

Assay, Assay Design, Bioinformatic Analysis, Bioinformatics Tools, Biological Data Analysis, Biomarker Assay Development, Biomarker Development, Biomarker Discovery, Biotechnology, Data-Driven Decision Making, Data Science, Data Visualization, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Human Studies, Preclinical Models, Stakeholder Relationship Management

Preferred Skills:

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bioinformatics, Biomedical Research, Communication, Competency Mapping, Computational Biology, Critical Thinking, Data Mining, Decision Making, Drug Discovery Process, Genomics, Group Problem Solving, Human Ecology, Innovation, Machine Learning, Metabolomics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Microbiology, Neurology, Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research, Organizational Behavior, Parasitology {+ 10 more}

Job Posting End Date:

11/5/2024

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