Senior Scientist, Agentic AI and Machine Learning (PDMB)

Merck • South San Francisco, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an exceptional Agentic AI and Machine Learning expert for the position of Senior Scientist, Data Science within our Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism, and Bioanalytics (PDMB) department. This role is responsible for the development, benchmarking, deployment and integration of world class agentic AI and Machine Learning in PDMB. It requires partnering closely with world-class scientists and pioneering the use of cutting-edge AI/ML innovations that augment scientific insight, streamline workflows and improve decision-making across the drug development lifecycle to advance transformative medicines. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background, a willingness to collaborate with stakeholders, and an aptitude for speaking the languages of science, technology and business strategy to deliver “human in the loop” AI/ML. You will be responsible for further augmenting critical partnerships with stakeholders in internal R&D functions, and with internal and external partners. This role is central to our mission, requiring you to exhibit cross-functional teamwork, strong partnering skills, creativity and scientific rigor to integrate cutting-edge AI and ML to create insight and efficiency across our R&D portfolio - and help deliver transformative medicines for patients.

Requirements

• Master’s (with 3 years) or Ph.D. in Data Science, Computer Science, Computational Chemistry, Bioinformatics, Applied Mathematics or a related quantitative field and relevant experience developing and deploying AI, machine learning or Analytics systems in industry or applied research environments.
• Hands-on experience with large language models and agentic AI frameworks (fine-tuning, prompt engineering, multi-agent orchestration, tool use, and API-based production orchestration) required.
• Proven experience integrating and modeling multimodal datasets (omics, chemical, textual, imaging).
• Experience in model evaluation and benchmarking.
• Strong software development skills in Python and familiarity with modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow), MLOps tools, cloud platforms (AWS preferred), and HPC environments.
• Experience driving consensus in cross-functional teams spanning science, engineering, and operations.
• Experience in stakeholder management and influencing without authority.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to translate complex technical work to domain experts and leadership.
• Strong foundation in machine learning algorithms, including deep learning, supervised/unsupervised learning, and time-series or sequence modeling.
• Experience with foundation models (e.g., large language models, multimodal models) and techniques for adaptation (prompting, fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation).
• Practical experience with AI agent frameworks, orchestration, and tool integration.
• Expertise in model evaluation and benchmarking, including offline metrics and real-world performance monitoring.
• Proven ability to work with large-scale, heterogeneous datasets (biological, chemical, clinical, operational).
• Proficiency in Python and modern ML/data science tooling; experience with scalable data and model deployment environments.
• Demonstrated strength in stakeholder management and influencing without authority.
• Experience driving consensus in cross-functional teams spanning science, engineering, and operations.
• Ability to independently lead initiatives from problem definition through deployment and impact measurement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience working in pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D environments.
• Familiarity with PK/PD modeling, DMPK assays, and clinical pharmacology concepts.
• Exposure to GxP-regulated environments and validation considerations for AI/ML systems.
• Experience deploying AI systems with human-in-the-loop workflows.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted technical partner to DMPK scientists, clinical pharmacologists, statisticians, clinicians, and research leaders.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment, and translate scientific and operational needs into clear AI/ML solution requirements.
• Communicate clearly with both technical and non‑technical audiences, explaining capabilities, limitations, and trade-offs.
• Design, develop, benchmark and deploy AI agents to support PDMB and clinical workflows, including: automated report generation, quality evaluation and consistency checks, process monitoring and deviation detection, scheduling, prioritization, and alerting systems.
• Apply agent development frameworks and architectures (e.g., tool-using agents, workflow agents, human-in-the-loop systems).
• Integrate agents and ML methods into existing R&D platforms, laboratory systems, data lakes, and clinical data environments.
• Develop and apply machine learning and deep learning models for DMPK and clinical applications, including: Build and evaluate simulation and hybrid ML–mechanistic models to support decision-making in discovery and development and apply best practices in model validation, benchmarking, uncertainty estimation, and performance monitoring.
• Define benchmarks and success metrics for AI agents and ML models, including scientific quality, operational efficiency, and user adoption.
• Implement ongoing monitoring for model drift, data quality, agent behavior, and downstream impact.
• Contribute to responsible AI practices, including transparency, reproducibility, governance, and compliance with GxP considerations.
• Define and track value metrics such as time savings, cost avoidance, throughput improvements, and decision quality.
• Quantify and communicate return on investment (ROI) and business impact from deployed AI and ML solutions.
• Support prioritization of AI initiatives based on scientific impact, feasibility, and value creation.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days
• annual bonus
• long-term incentive

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior