Job Description

Title: Senior Specialist, Data Science (AI/ML Spatial Omics & Digital Pathology), Quantitative Biosciences

At our company, we are committed to becoming the premier, research-intensive biopharmaceutical company and are dedicated to providing leading innovations and solutions for today and the future.



Our Research Scientists serve as the driving force behind our Innovations. We identify and target mechanisms or pathways involved in the disease process, and invent novel treatments/therapeutics to address unmet medical needs. This exceptionally

COMPLEX

task represents one of the most

MULTIDISCIPLINARY

endeavours in the field.

INNOVATION

also thrives at that intersection of multiple disciplines! In this role as a

Senior Specialist, AI/ML Spatial Omics & Digital Pathology

, you will have the opportunity to work at that intersection of disciplines to shape innovation in biomarker sciences, influence pipeline decisions, and contribute to a research-driven environment with industry-leading expertise. This role is within our Pathways, Biomarkers & Data Analytics team at our state-of-the-art research laboratory in Biopolis, Singapore.



If you are

PASSIONATE

about applying your expertise to address critical unmet needs and accelerate the discovery and development of new drugs, we invite you to join us in pioneering the future of biomarker research for the biopharmaceutical industry.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT ...

Opportunity to drive innovation in AI/ML spatial omics & digital pathology at the intersection of multiple disciplines by integrating medical and disease biology, imaging & omics technologies, big data and biobanks.
Opportunities for engaging your innovative & creative mind to experiment with new ideas and approaches.
Collaboration with a team committed to leveraging AI/ML for drug development. A supportive working environment that fosters career growth and continuous learning.

WHAT YOU WILL DO ...

Your responsibilities will include, but not limited to:



You will develop AI/ML and image analysis techniques to analyze spatial multiomics images and digital pathology (e.g., Spatial Transcriptomics, Spatial Proteomics, Immunohistochemistry, H&E) and develop data integration methods (e.g., across modalities and clinical information), with the goal of providing novel insights into disease biology and discovering and deploying novel biomarker solutions.





You will formulate appropriate hypothesis, identify and execute appropriate analytical methodologies, and interpret AI findings to elucidate disease pathophysiology, discover novel biomarkers, and support target identification/validation. You will also propose study design based on AI/ML analysis results.



You will keep up-to-date with emerging AI/ML platforms for spatial omics and digital pathology, and identify appropriate internal and external datasets to evaluate their utility depending on the needs in various disease applications.





As a result of these initiatives, you will play a crucial role within the team that leverage AI/ML and spatial biology to support both reverse and forward translation. Your efforts will contribute to transforming insights from medical and disease biology into biomarker solutions that enable decision-making in our drug development programs.





In this role, you will collaborate with internal stakeholders and external vendors or partners. You will communicate and present our AI/ML solutions and results to a variety of stakeholders, including project teams, senior management, and external partners. You will also author project proposals, publications, and technical reports/documentations as part of your responsibilities.



Working at the cutting edge of AI/ML technology for pharmaceutical drug discovery and development offers you the opportunity to present and publish your findings, contributing fresh perspectives and diverse viewpoints that can shape the future of the industry.

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE ...

You are required to have a PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical/Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Computational Biology, Physics or a related discipline. Alternatively, a master's or bachelor's degree in these areas with 5+ years of relevant research experience in AI/ML and image analytics will also be acceptable.


You are also required to have a strong background in machine learning, deep learning (e.g., CNN, GAN, transformers, autoencoders, generative AI etc.) including foundation models for applications in large-scale medical imaging, omics data and text/EHR data analytics (e.g., for bigdata/biobank applications).


You should possess significant hands-on experience with programming languages such as Python, R, along with familiarity with machine learning and deep learning libraries like scikit-learn, PyTorch, and TensorFlow; and computing & ML-Engineering platforms such as AWS (e.g. Sagemaker) and Databricks.


You are required to have understanding of spatial omics imaging (e.g., Spatial Transcriptomics, Spatial Proteomics, Digital Pathology), along with expertise in image processing techniques such as image segmentation, registration, and feature extraction, preferably using tools like ITK, SimpleITK, OpenCV, or similar frameworks.


It would be ideal and a big advantage for you if you have knowledge in cardiometabolic, immunological, and/or neurological disease biology. However, more importantly, you are expected to demonstrate a strong interest in learning the key concepts in disease biology and in applying that knowledge to drug discovery and development in pharmaceutical R&D.


You should be self-inspired and an enthusiastic team player, capable of working in a highly collaborative, cross-functional working environment. You should also be fast and earnest learner and self-motivated to handle multiple projects and priorities under challenging timeline.

WHO WE ARE ...

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.


We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we "follow the science" and that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. And 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.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR ...

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us -- and start making your impact today.


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. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Additional Information

:


Please provide a LinkedIn profile, publications in conferences/journals, or any relevant profiles for portfolio, (Google Scholar, Github, Stack Overflow, Arxiv, and/or Kaggle)

if available

.

Required Skills:

Biodesign, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Business Intelligence (BI), Cardiology, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Data Analysis, Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Integration, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Drug Development, Machine Learning (ML), Medical Imaging, Neuroanatomy, Neurotrophins, PyTorch, Software Development, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Statistics, Tensorflow, Waterfall Model

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE


Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

Temporary (Fixed Term)

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

01/2/2026

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.

Requisition ID:

R376298