Principal Scientist / Associate Director, Statistical Pharmacogenetics

GSK, Plc.•Cambridge, MA

33d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced, motivated and innovative individual to join us as a Principal Scientist / Associate Director in Statistical Pharmacogenetics in the Translational & Clinical Genetics team, which is part of the broader GSK Human Genetics and Genomics organisation. The successful candidate will design and deliver hands-on pharmacogenetic statistical analyses of clinical trial data, working in cross-functional teams to impact the GSK portfolio. You will have strong expertise in genetics, experience of undertaking genetic analysis of biobanks/observational cohorts and/or clinical trial data and enjoy working in cross-functional teams. You will have experience of a range of statistical genetic analyses including genome-wide single variant testing, burden testing, and investigating polygenic risk scores. You should also have experience in additional omics data (e.g., proteomics) and integrating it with genetics to generate novel translational insights in biobanks/observational cohorts or clinical trial data. The successful candidate will work directly with colleagues in Human Genetics and Genomics and closely with a range of other stakeholders in cross-functional teams, including but not limited to clinical statisticians and biomarker project leads. You will have the opportunity to work in and gain experience of different therapeutic areas through working on specific projects in clinical development and, where appropriate, potentially help clinical teams to incorporate pharmacogenetics into new clinical studies. There may be opportunity for you to identify, establish and drive collaborations with external institutions aligned with strategic priorities. Additionally, you will be encouraged and supported in the ongoing development of your scientific expertise through your impactful work and its visibility to key stakeholders, completing development programmes, presenting your research and writing peer-reviewed publications. Overall, this is an exciting opportunity to undertake impactful genetic analyses working in a dynamic setting to help us better understand the medicines we're developing. We create a place where people can grow, be their best, be safe, and feel welcome, valued and included. We offer a competitive salary, an annual bonus based on company performance, healthcare and wellbeing programmes, pension plan membership, and shares and savings programme. We embrace modern work practises; our Performance with Choice programme offers a hybrid working model, empowering you to find the optimal balance between remote and in-office work. We are open to hiring at both a G7 and G6 level.

Requirements

PhD or equivalent advanced degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g. statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, biomedical statistics, computational sciences, bioinformatics) with a history of impactful scientific publications and/or presentations.
Expertise in statistical genetics
Experience of conducting genetic analyses of clinical trial data or other human genetic datasets (e.g., biobanks, observational cohorts).
Strong written communication skills to design and write pharmacogenetic statistical analysis plans and reports.
Strong proficiency in at least one of R and Python, with experience of writing reproducible and scalable code that abides to FAIR principles.
Excellent collaboration and partnership skills to work effectively within internal teams and with internal stakeholders across functions.
Demonstrated experience of effectively communicating complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and in multidisciplinary teams to meet project timelines.

Nice To Haves

Extensive experience in genetics and preferably conducting analyses that integrate genetics with other omics data to generate novel translational insights.
Familiarity with the common statistical approaches used to analyse clinical trials
Experience of project management is desirable to enable oversight of pharmacogenetic studies from registration to archiving
Familiarity with the stages of drug discovery and development
Experience working in the pharmaceutical industry

Responsibilities

Conduct hands-on pharmacogenetic analyses of clinical trials.
Design and author statistical analysis plans and pharmacogenetic reports.
Collaborate and work closely with colleagues in cross-functional teams to oversee the development and timely delivery of pharmacogenetic analyses and reports.
Perform a range of statistical genetic analyses including, but not limited to, power calculations, single variant tests, burden tests, and polygenic risk scores.
Integrate genetics and other omics data in analyses to gain novel translational insights.
Understand the strengths and limitations of different statistical genetic analyses for pharmacogenetics.
Evaluate and implement new methodologies and technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of genetic analyses.
Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines in the field of pharmacogenetics.
Assist clinical teams to incorporate pharmacogenetics into new clinical studies that are being designed and set up