Data Scientist

Moderna is seeking a talented and motivated data scientist with a background in applying machine learning techniques to problems in Research and Early Development to join our Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) Research team. This role will support and execute on collaborations across the Research organization with an initial focus on sequence-function machine learning. The role will be involved in building models and algorithms that power Moderna’s research engine, accelerating the scientific discovery that we engage in, scaling up our existing capabilities, and opening new avenues of research capabilities. We are looking for someone who is deeply curious, exhibits an excellent work ethic, and has a desire to bring novel mRNA therapeutics and vaccines to the market that will improve the lives of patients worldwide.  Here’s What You’ll Do   Support and execute on research projects that leverage internal and external assay data to impact teams, processes, and projects in Biological Sciences, RNA Sciences, Chemistry and Delivery Sciences, and Bioinformatics, via data analysis and visualization, algorithm development, machine learning, and experimental design.  Keep abreast of and, where appropriate, apply recent advances in machine learning and optimization, and their application to machine learning problems in RNA and LNP design.  Design and analyze molecular and sequence libraries using statistical design of experiments, Bayesian optimization, active learning, and other data-driven approaches to maximize learning from experimental campaigns.  Employ agentic software development tools to develop, deploy, and maintain ML-powered systems that leverage our internal assay data to accelerate our science.  Utilize data science and software engineering best practices in day-to-day work, including automated testing, code review, and documentation designed to support reproducibility, collaboration, and effective use by AI agents.  Collaborate with data scientists, data engineers, laboratory scientists, software developers, and engineers across Moderna.  Communicate findings internally and externally.  Here’s What You’ll Need (Minimum Qualifications)   Ph.D. in Computer Science, Biological Engineering, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Applied Mathematics, or related discipline with 0-2 years of professional experience, or a Master’s degree with 4+ years of relevant professional experience required.  Demonstrated understanding of biotech research and engineering processes including one or more of molecular biology, discovery chemistry, microscopy, etc.  Demonstrated prior experience in building sequence-function or QSAR models and applying them to molecular prioritization problems.  Demonstrated ability to partner with experimental scientists to design, prioritize, and analyze molecular or sequence libraries that address biological or therapeutic questions.  Strong foundation in statistics, including experimental design, regression/classification modeling, uncertainty quantification, hypothesis testing, and interpretation of noisy biological assay data.  Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)   2+ years of experience delivering data science projects.  Outstanding communication skills (verbal and written).  Success in communicating effectively to multiple levels of stakeholders.  Demonstrated experience building research collaborations and executing complex and interdisciplinary research projects to completion.  Fluency in Python, especially the scientific Python stack (Jupyter/Pandas/scikit-learn/PyTorch).  Experience in identifying, procuring, and integrating external data sources as needed.  Ability to manage multiple projects and effectively collaborate in a dynamic, cross-functional environment.  Demonstrated experience and/or specialization in one of neural vision models, neural language