waypointjobs

Merck

Senior Machine Learning Scientist, Foundation Model

cambridge, MA

Check who can apply and the requirements below before continuing.

About this opportunity

Merck lists this Senior Machine Learning Scientist, Foundation Model opportunity in cambridge, Massachusetts. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.

Job description

Job Description

Our Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) capabilities are critical accelerators of our mission to invent new medicines that save and improve lives. Core to the Data, AI, and Genome Sciences (DAGS) function is an AI/ML-first approach to improving target and biomarker discovery, validation, and selection, and elucidating complex disease mechanisms. As Senior Machine Learning Scientist, you will be responsible for developing and training large scale Foundation Models based on biological data. Your work will advance our understanding of complex diseases and support the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. In this pursuit, you will have at your disposal high-performance clusters with several hundred state-of-the‑art GPUs, access to biological, computational, and engineering experts from across Our Company and external vendors. You will be part of a broader, cross‑functional team of computational biologists, data scientists, software engineers, and machine learning researchers who strive to identify therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

Primary Responsibilities

Collaborate with cross‑functional team to identify research questions, data requirements, and develop appropriate, modern AI/ML solutions.

Design and develop, train, and implement novel ML algorithms particularly transformer‑based Foundation Models for Target and Biomarker discovery leveraging large scale biological data.

Stay up to date with the latest advancements in modern AI/ML approaches and apply relevant advancements to improve existing methodologies and models.

Publish research findings in relevant conferences and journals, and actively contribute to the scientific community through knowledge sharing and collaborations.

Required Education, Experience, And Skills

PhD in Computer Science, Applied Math, Physics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Engineering, AI/ML, Genetics/Genomics, or a related STEM field.

Strong expertise and experience in modern AI/ML approaches, training and working with large transformer‑based Foundation models, representation learning, diffusion models, and related methodologies.

Experience with pre‑training large‑scale and/or multi‑modal Foundation Models on multiple GPUs.

Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, and experience with standard deep learning frameworks like the PyTorch ecosystem.

Interest in life sciences problems and disease biology, and willing to learn from and teach others.

Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in multi‑disciplinary team.

Preferred Skills And Experience

Familiarity and prior experience with biological data and biological foundation models are strong pluses.

Relevant publications in scientific journals and experience contributing to research communities, including NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, etc.

US And Puerto Rico Residents Only

We are committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities.

Requirements

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

The salary range for this role is

$144,800.00 - $227,900.00

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

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

Employee Status

Regular

Relocation

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship

Yes

Travel Requirements

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Shift

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

n/a

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Worksite address

cambridge, MA, 02140, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.

Ready for your next step?Apply on the official website
Apply on WhatJobs ↗

Explore related searches

Current related jobs

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits

WhatJobs

Rep Sales Relief

bronx, NY

See pay details in description

What You Need To Know Shape a remarkable future with us. Build a career working for an industry leader that truly invests in their people – a…

Listing review due 2026-10-06View job

Mayo Clinic

WhatJobs

Clinical Lab Technologist

saint james, MN

See pay details in description

Why Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic is top-ranked in more specialties than any other care provider according to U.S. News & World Report. As we w…

Listing review due 2026-10-06View job

Sonora Quest Laboratories

WhatJobs

Clinical Lab Assistant I

fallon, NV

Salary not specified

Primary City/State: Fallon, Nevada Department Name: Procurement-Churchill Work Shift: Varied Job Category: Lab Join our team and make a pos…

Listing review due 2026-10-06View job

CF Industries

WhatJobs

Project Manager, Mega-Project (Blue Point)

modeste, LA

Salary not specified

At CF Industries, our mission is to provide clean energy to feed and fuel the world sustainably. Our employees are focused on safe and reliable o…

Listing review due 2026-10-06View job

Automobile Club Of Missouri

WhatJobs

Life Sales Agent

st louis, MO

Salary not specified

Life Sales Agent Job Summary The Life Specialist Trainee role is an entry-level position for life insurance sales. They present and sell life …

Listing review due 2026-10-06View job

Automobile Club Of Missouri

WhatJobs

Sales Agent

st louis, MO

Salary not specified

Sales Agent $100K+ earning potential Comprehensive benefits including pension plan Paid training  Our door is open to talented sales …

Listing review due 2026-10-06View job