Are you a curious data science leader seeking a role where your expertise can make an extraordinary impact? This is an opportunity to join a dynamic and enthusiastic environment, whilst delivering critical support to drug discovery projects.

Join a place built on innovation and creativity. We harness digital, data science & AI to fast-forward our research. Making sure work born in a lab can make a real difference. Every day, impacting patients’ lives across the world.

You’ll be part of Data Sciences & Quantitative Biology – a delivery focused department where we collaborate to support drug projects aiming to impact patients’ lives. In partnership with our experimentalist colleagues, we provide computational analysis and solutions to enable and enhance output from our technical platforms driving our drug discovery efforts.

What you’ll do

You will lead, mentor and develop the team and collaborate across functions to evolve our computational approaches and their drug discovery applications, to drive impact and deepen scientific excellence. We will rely on you to initiate and lead both internal and external collaborations and partnerships to ensure that we are at the cutting edge of technology and innovation.

We truly believe that everyone contributes with a unique set of competence. Your curiosity and passion for personal development combined with support from colleagues, mentors and leaders, will ensure you maximise your potential and contribution, building from your current skills, abilities and experience.

Essential for the role

Our team is a highly collaborative group of scientists, working in a constantly evolving technical and scientific landscape. Therefore, you’ll have to be comfortable working at a fast pace, with a team-focused approach. You have excellent communication skills and a proactive and delivery-focused approach.

Regardless of your current level of leadership experience, you’re passionate about supporting your staff and wider colleagues’ development, as well as driving your own personal development and maximising your team’s and individual contribution to drug discovery.

You also have:

• A PhD - or equivalent numbers of years of experience post-degree - in mathematics, statistics, engineering, physics, economics, computational sciences or a related quantitative field.

• In-depth experience with modern data science and machine learning approaches, including unsupervised and supervised classification and regression algorithms, neural networks and deep learning.

• Specific expertise in one or more of the team’s focus areas: network/graph analysis, machine learning, advanced statistical modelling, Bayesian statistical modelling, or broader aspects of applied mathematics such as dynamical systems modelling.

• Significant experience in the modelling of complex datasets in applied business or scientific application domains

• Advanced skills in at least two of the standard data science languages (such as R, Julia or Python) and familiarity with database systems (e.g. SQL, NoSQL, graph)

• In-depth experience of manipulating and analysing large high dimensionality or unstructured datasets, drawing conclusions, defining recommended actions, and reporting results across key partners

Desirable for the role

• Experience in leading, managing and supporting development of more junior colleagues

• Proven track record of publishing relevant predictive modelling results and tools in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and other scientific proceedings.

• Experience of delivering value in a complex global organization

Why AstraZeneca

There are many opportunities to develop yourself and your career. From our diverse portfolio and teamwork to our ground-breaking innovations – it’s a place for lifelong learning.

You'll be based in our Cambridge R&D Centre, opening in 2021. This is placed in the heart of Cambridge Biomedical Campus - an open, welcoming and vibrant centre that will encourage our team and our partners to push the boundaries of scientific innovation.

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits, such as extra paid Holiday, Private Medical Benefit, Cycle to Work and much, much more.

So, what’s next

If your passion is science and you want to be part of a team that makes a bigger impact on patients’ lives, then there’s no better place to be.

If you’re curious to know more then please reach out to Ian Barrett at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-barrett-39046056/. ​

This role is open to applications from 4 August 2021 and will close to applications on 19 August 20

Where can I find out more?

For a small sample of published examples relating to our department’s work, see:

• https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.10488

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31535850/

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28961699/

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23152503/

• Collaboration with BenevolentAI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRHVXL-qWJs

• Cambridge Biomedical Campus https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-company/our-locations/cambridge.html

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.