Senior Scientist, Computational Chemistry

Merck•South San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Our Company's Research Laboratories located in South San Francisco are a thriving hub for discovery research. Located in the heart of the Bay Area’s biomedical community, our research ranges from exploratory biology to early clinical development. We work on diverse modalities – small molecules, peptides, bioconjugates and biologics. Our laboratories are an integral part of our Company's influential network of drug and vaccine discovery. Join our diverse, inclusive, respected, and collaborative organization where every employee contributes to our critical mission of discovering drugs. At our Company's Research Laboratories, you’ll have the opportunity to expand your knowledge, develop your skills, and advance your career while working with the best minds in the industry. The Role: We are seeking an extraordinary, motivated, and curious scientist for our Modeling and Informatics group. As a Senior Scientist (R3), you will be part of a multidisciplinary team, collaborating with Medicinal Chemists, Structural Biologists, Pharmacologists, and Biologists in a highly collaborative environment. Your role will be pivotal in advancing drug discovery projects and innovating medicines to improve patients' lives. Do you have an insatiable appetite for learning, applying advanced computational techniques, and developing innovative computational methods? Then, you are the person we are looking for. We are seeking candidates preferably with: Familiarity with one or more molecular modeling packages such as MOE, Schrodinger, OpenEye Proficiency in applying computational methods such as molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry, and machine learning to biological problems Cheminformatics experience to analyze and understand data

Requirements

Ph.D. (or completion by July 2026) in Computational Chemistry, Biophysics, Chemistry, Biochemistry or related field and relevant experience
Programming/scripting proficiency in Python, including experience manipulating large datasets
Familiarity with Linux and high-performance computing
Strong written and oral communication skills, and ability to work well in multidisciplinary teams
Evidence of creative application of computational chemistry approaches to problems of biological interest, demonstrated through multiple publications and external presentations

Nice To Haves

Experience applying computational methods such as molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry, and deep learning to problems of biological interest
Experience with lead identification and lead optimization of diverse therapeutic modalities
Ability to use molecular modeling packages such as MOE, Schrodinger, and OpenEye
Have experience with Cheminformatics tools such as Spotfire to analyze and visualize the data
Excited to learn and implement novel technologies including AI/ML to advance the pipeline
Experience working in multidisciplinary teams that include experimental scientists

Responsibilities

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to discover new drugs
Spearhead the modeling and informatics initiatives on project teams, strategically applying computational methodologies throughout all stages of the drug discovery process.
Utilizing various informatics and modeling techniques to analyze large datasets and accelerate the evolution of drug discovery leads to drug candidates.
Engaging in research in areas of molecular modeling relevant to drug discovery and maintaining an external scientific presence through significant scientific publications and presentations