Senior Data Scientist - Drug Discovery

Hays
Newcastle upon Tyne
1 day ago
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Your new company
You will be joining an expanding consultancy focused on supporting innovation in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Its specialist research division is dedicated to solving complex biological problems through advanced statistical modelling and ML/AI. They have an experienced team with a strong track record and are looking for an extra person to join them to work on statistical method development and application to real-world drug discovery & development problems.

This position can be fully home based in the UK.


Your new role
As a Senior Data Scientist, your work will centre on methodological innovation. You will:

  • Design and implement novel statistical approaches to interrogate large-scale genomic datasets
  • Develop new models to quantify genetic contributions to disease and complex traits
  • Evaluate and refine existing analytical frameworks to improve accuracy and interpretability
  • Ensure scientific rigour and reproducibility in all method development
  • Translate complex statistical outputs into meaningful insights for technical and non-technical audiences
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to embed new methods into scalable data pipelines
  • Contribute to peer-reviewed publications that showcase methodological advancements
  • Stay ahead of emerging techniques in statistical genetics and bioinformatics, integrating them into ongoing research


While pharma/biotech or consultancy industry experience is preferred, this role could also suit a recent PhD graduate or junior post-doc researcher with strong statistical method development.


What you'll need to succeed

  • PhD (or Master's with substantial experience) in statistics, maths, physics, data science, computing, statistical genetics or a related field with a strong methodological focus (or equivalent experience)
  • Demonstrated ability to create and validate new statistical / analytical models or workflows
  • Strong programming skills in R or Python, with experience in statistical libraries and bioinformatics tools
  • Familiarity with biobank-scale datasets and genomic databases
  • Experience with cloud platforms and scalable computing environments
  • A publication record that reflects methodological contributions to the field
  • Good communication skills, especially in explaining statistical concepts to diverse audiences



What you'll get in return
You'll be joining a highly experienced team doing cutting-edge work to support drug discovery & development efforts at a wide range of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. As well as lots of opportunities to develop your skills and career, this role offers a good package and the chance to make a significant impact.


What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

Keywords: Statistical, Genetics, Bioinformatics, Genomics, Data, Scientist, Lead, Senior, GWAS, Polygenic, Risk, Score, Mendelian, Randomisation, Causal, Inference, Computational, Biology, Genetic, Epidemiology, Variant, Annotation, Pathway, Method, Enrichment, Protein, Interaction, Networks, Biobank, Research, Modelling, Development

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