Data Science Neuroscience PhD Co-op

Johnson & Johnson • Cambridge, MA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is seeking a highly motivated PhD Co-op to join the Neuroscience DDSAI team for Spring 2027. This role offers a unique opportunity to work within the team building out a large single-cell and multi-omics atlas for neuropsychiatry. The successful candidate will develop and apply advanced computational approaches to understand cell-type-specific disease mechanisms, map cell-cell communication networks, identify dysregulated signaling pathways in neuropsychiatry, and nominate novel therapeutic targets for neuropsychiatry discovery programs at J&J. In addition to cell-cell communication analyses, the candidate will explore cutting-edge AI/ML approaches that leverage large-scale single-cell, genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and multimodal datasets to systematically prioritize actionable therapeutic targets and pathways.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a PhD in one of the following or a related quantitative discipline: Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Data Science.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or R (including effective use of AI-assisted coding).
• Experience analyzing high-dimensional multimodal biological datasets, with a preference for single-cell RNASeq, ATACSeq, proteomics, and genomics datasets.
• Familiarity with machine learning, statistics, and computational biology methods.
• Strong scientific communication and presentation skills.
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the US without current or future sponsorship requirements.
• Candidates must remain actively enrolled in their academic program throughout the entire internship period.
• Candidates must be available to work 40 hours per week during the internship.
• Should have a minimum GPA of 3

Nice To Haves

• Experience with graph analytics, network biology, knowledge graphs, or generative AI methods.
• Familiarity with cell-cell communication modeling tools (LIANA+, Cellchat, MultiNicheNet etc.), pathway analysis, and systems biology.

Responsibilities

• Benchmark and apply state-of-the-art methods to map cell-cell communication networks in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
• Identify disease-associated disruptions in ligand-receptor interactions and intercellular biological circuits across cell populations.
• Generate disease-specific cellular interaction maps to uncover novel mechanisms and target discovery opportunities in neuropsychiatric disorders.
• Apply cutting-edge AI and single-cell analytics to uncover disease-associated cell states and pathways in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
• Leverage machine learning, network biology, and foundation models to identify novel therapeutic targets and disease mechanisms.
• Integrate single-cell discoveries with orthogonal multi-omics data to support precision target identification in neuropsychiatry.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams spanning Data Science, Precision Measures, and Neuropsychiatry Discovery to advance target discovery programs.
• Present findings to scientific leaders and contribute to publications, posters, and presentations at internal and external scientific conferences.

Benefits

• Co-Ops/Interns are eligible to participate in Company sponsored employee medical benefits in accordance with the terms of the plan.
• Co-Ops and Interns are eligible for the following sick time benefits: up to 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington, up to 56 hours per calendar year.
• Co-Ops and Interns are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension).

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree