Data Science & AI Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow Foundational & Multimodal Proteochemometrics models

Novartis Pharma Schweiz AG seeks a Data Science & AI Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow in Basel for a three-year, full-time, on-site role focused on developing foundational and multimodal proteochemometrics models for drug discovery.

This position is part of the Novartis Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Program within Discovery Sciences in Basel. It offers a 100% training opportunity for exceptional early-career scientists to address complex challenges in biomedical research and drug discovery over a duration of up to three years.

Responsibilities

• Train and refine foundational structure affinity models using large-scale experimental datasets, including DNA-encoded library screening results.
• Adjust models based on high-quality, low-volume affinity data.
• Assess model performance with and without fine-tuning, comparing outcomes against current state-of-the-art approaches.
• Implement and evaluate promising model architectures in small molecule hit-finding projects.
• Evaluate model capabilities for predicting off-targets in pharmacology safety assessments.

Requirements

• A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant scientific discipline, completed before the fellowship begins.
• A proven track record of scientific achievement, such as publications, presentations, or patents.
• Practical experience with cheminformatic workflows, including familiarity with descriptors and machine/deep learning in cheminformatics.
• Expertise in Linux high-performance computing and cloud environments.
• Proficiency in Python scientific and deep learning stacks, along with familiarity with best practices for computational reproducible research (version control, testing, documentation).
• Experience in training foundational models and/or processing large datasets.
• Ability to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams (e.g., biologists, chemists, data scientists) with proactive and results-oriented communication skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with ligand-protein docking, ligand-protein co-folding, or drug-target interaction models.
• Experience using synthons and transformations to generate or interrogate virtual spaces.

What the company offers

• Guidance from accomplished scientific leaders and subject matter experts.
• Access to advanced technologies, platforms, and research capabilities.
• Collaboration across disciplines and organizational boundaries.
• A global and diverse community of postdoctoral fellows.
• Dedicated programming designed to help fellows thrive throughout their careers.
• Personalized experiential learning opportunities through a Postdoc Practicum.
• Opportunities to present research, publish in leading journals, and build an international scientific network.

About the company

Novartis Pharma Schweiz AG operates with the purpose of reimaging medicine to improve and extend people's lives. The company fosters a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment where fellows work alongside leading scientists to develop the next generation of scientific leaders through rigorous research and immersive learning experiences.

• The company's purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives.
• The program is designed to develop the next generation of scientific leaders through rigorous research and immersive learning experiences.
• Fellows work in a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment alongside leading scientists.