Associate Director, Computational Biology

United Therapeutics•Silver Spring, MD

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Computational Lab for In Silico Molecular Biology is building a computational model of the lung to enable in silico design and testing of therapies for lung disease. As part of this effort to develop an integrative multiscale lung model, the Associate Director, Computational Biology will apply various modeling techniques to simulate molecular and cellular processes, focusing on their impact on lung physiology and pharmacology. This role contributes to the development and evolution of computational modeling strategy, ensuring alignment between technical direction, research priorities, and model-informed drug development across programs.

Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in engineering, applied mathematics, systems biology, or related field of study
7+ years of experience in mechanistic modeling approaches in the pharmaceutical industry
Experience leading, developing, and mentoring team members, with demonstrated ability to build capability and support professional growth
Experience with common databases and tools relevant to bioinformatics and systems biology
Expertise in a variety of modeling formalisms for systems biology (e.g., differential equation, logic-based, or agent-based models)
Expertise in pharmaceutical modeling and simulation approaches (e.g., quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) or physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling)
Advanced knowledge of numerical methods relevant to modeling and simulation, including solving systems of ordinary and/or partial differential equations, optimization, Monte Carlo methods
Fluency in one or more scientific programming languages (e.g., Python, R, Julia, and/or MATLAB)
Knowledge of molecular and cellular biology and drug development
Experience communicating effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences as demonstrated by record of presentations and publications

Nice To Haves

Experience processing and analyzing large-scale genomic and transcriptomic datasets
Strong data visualization skills, including interactive visualization (e.g. R Shiny or d3.js)
Skilled in statistical and machine learning methods
Knowledge of pulmonary physiology

Responsibilities

Lead teams in strategically planning and implementing mechanistic models of molecular and cellular processes in the lung, including but not limited to regulation of vasoconstriction and bronchoconstriction, response to hypoxia, toxicity to airways/alveoli, and initiation/resolution of inflammation and fibrosis
Provide expertise in evaluating innovative approaches for mechanistic modeling, informing technical direction and prioritization for areas such as AI-enabled model development, multiscale coupling, in silico trials, and regenerative medicine
Define, evolve, and execute a technical strategy in partnership with other internal subject matter experts to apply model-informed drug development throughout the company
Build and manage collaborations with external partners to generate data for model training/validation
Coordinate teams of computational biologists and engineers to build HPC workflows for multiscale models that bridge organ physiology with cell- and molecular-level processes
Advance company-wide uptake of computational modeling by leading development of simulation tools and interfaces in partnership with leaders in other R&D departments
Communicate results through presentations at internal and external meetings, and peer-reviewed publications
Direct and manage team to include responsibilities for goal setting, performance reviews/management, coaching, mentoring and career development
All other duties as assigned