Research Science Specialist - Scientific AI, Life Sciences

McKinsey • Atlanta, GA

202d

About The Position

As a member of McKinsey's global Scientific AI team, you will apply your expertise at the intersection of scientific disciplines (e.g., chemistry, medicine, computational biology, protein engineering, materials science, biostatistics, physics) and artificial intelligence (e.g., machine learning, generative AI, foundation models) to shape and scale the firm's scientific innovation capabilities. You'll be working in one of our offices in North America in our Life Sciences practice. Your work will include applying cutting-edge research methods, leveraging diverse data sources, and utilizing advanced analytics to help clients unlock new value through science-driven innovation. Your time will be divided between internal capability building, research to inform product development, and direct engagement with client teams. You will help shape new tools, develop research-backed insights, and bring scientific rigor to client engagements.

Requirements

• PhD degree preferred with year or Masters degree with years of relevant experience in biology, chemistry or computer science
• Deep expertise in your scientific domain, including familiarity with key data sources, databases, and latest cutting-edge methodologies (i.e., experimental and/or computational)
• Experience in understanding and translating technical publications and reviews published code reviews to assess suitability
• Strong publication record or evidence of scientific thought leadership
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to drive complex, cross-functional initiatives to completion
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and independence
• Comfort working in ambiguous and fast-paced environments, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences

Responsibilities

• Conducting domain-specific research, landscape research, data analysis, transformation, and analytics to support the design, development, and maintenance of innovative assets
• Delivering distinctive domain-specific knowledge to client service teams and clients, including the identification of the approach for domain-specific solutions
• Providing scientific and technical leadership in the creation, dissemination, and evolution of proprietary knowledge and assets including supporting manuscript drafting/publication
• Providing deep research expertise and help shape the problem to support complex client and client service team challenges including expertise on cutting edge approaches
• Collaborating with product development teams by offering knowledge insights and data extraction capabilities; contributing to product roadmaps at a cellular or system level
• Keeping up to date with domain specific trends
• Leading ideation sessions, formulating hypotheses, and driving experimentation
• Working as part of interdisciplinary teams to deliver high-impact results
• Mentoring and coaching junior team members, contributing to team development and capability growth

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, which includes medical, dental, mental health, and vision coverage for you, your spouse/partner, and children

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree