Associate Principal Data Scientist

at  AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Our purpose is to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines. Pharmaceutical Technology & Development (PT&D) at AstraZeneca is at the heart of our mission to create innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals.
PT&D is the organization that turns brilliant science into actual medicines that help millions of people. We work across the entire value chain, designing and delivering active ingredients, formulations and devices for new medicines and providing expert technical support to all AstraZeneca’s commercial drug substances and products to ensure we successfully supply medicines to patients.
We are now seeking highly qualified, forward-looking Associate Principal Data Scientists to lead initiatives within our global Digital Science team!

JOB DESCRIPTION

The successful candidate will have a strong background in machine learning (ML) and AI, including neural networks and deep learning. Experience with natural language processing (NLP) and language models including large language models (LLMs) is of particular interest You will be responsible for developing cutting-edge algorithms and models that will transform the drug development process, strengthening the quality of our science and drive significant operational efficiency.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• MSc or PhD or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Data Science, Computational Linguistics or a related quantitative field.
• Significant experience in ML and AI, and in particular NLP and language models, with a portfolio of successful projects.
• Advanced programming skills in Python, R, or similar languages, and extensive experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Proven track record of handling large datasets and leverage cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, and Azure) for complex data science tasks.
• Exceptional problem-solving capabilities and the capacity to lead high-level projects with minimal supervision.
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage directly with a diverse range of senior partners.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• Demonstrated experience in applying ML and AI and specifically NLP and LLMs to solve problems in the pharmaceutical or related fields.
• Familiarity with state-of-the-art technologies such as physics-informed neural networks, liquid neural networks, and neural differential equations, and their potential impact on drug discovery and development.
• A commitment to best practices in data management and a track record in fostering reproducibility and transparency in research.
• A strong publication record in their field of expertise.

• Partner with global customers across PT&D to identify opportunities and lead the development and implementation of advanced ML and AI models, with a focus on applications of NLP and language models.
• Innovate and implement state-of-the-art neural network architectures for a variety of complex tasks in pharmaceutical drug development.
• Lead the evaluation and incorporation of the latest ML and AI research into practical applications to advance AstraZeneca’s objectives.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with data scientists and engineers as well as domain experts to ensure successful integration, scaling and deployment of ML and AI solutions across the organization.
• Act as an inspiring leader and mentor for junior colleagues, providing guidance and fostering technical growth.
• Articulate and present complex data-driven insights and their business implications to senior management and other key collaborators.
• Ensure the integrity and confidentiality of all data and models in compliance with company policies and regulations.