AI/ML Engineer - Vaccine Research
PfizerAbout the role
We are looking to identify AI/ML Engineers - Vaccine Research who will play a strategic role at the intersection of artificial intelligence, vaccinology, and translational science.
You will help define the future of AI-driven vaccinology, with the potential to impact human lives globally.
Embedded within Vaccines R&D, supporting viral and bacterial vaccine programs, you will help define how advanced AI methods are applied to unlock new biological insights and accelerate next-generation vaccine innovation.
As an AI Science Engineer, you will work shoulder-to-shoulder with leading Scientists, Immunologists, and Clinicians to translate complex biology into differentiated vaccine strategies. Your work will go beyond proof‑of‑concept models - your AI systems will directly inform scientific hypotheses, experimental design, and portfolio decisions across the vaccine pipeline.
What you’ll do:
Shape scientific strategy with AI
- Design, develop, and deploy AI systems directly influence vaccine discovery and development decisions, informing antigen selection, experimental prioritization, translational strategies, and clinical study design.
- Serve as scientific thought partner to vaccine R&D leaders, helping integrate AI-driven insights into program-level and portfolio-level strategy
Own foundational and predictive modeling end-to-end
- Lead AI initiatives spanning antigen discovery and optimization, experimental design, translational modeling, clinical trial simulation, patient stratification, and operational forecasting
- Take models from concept through validation, deployment, and measurable scientific impact.
Advance generative AI for vaccine design
- Apply state-of-the-art generative and foundation models to protein and antigen engineering.
- Rapidly prototype, rigorously evaluate, and responsibly deploy AI methods in high-stakes scientific contexts.
Engineer robust, scalable AI systems
- Architect reliable ML pipelines using modern MLOps practices across cloud and HPC environments, with strong attention to reproducibility, governance, and scientific credibility
- Standardize and automate the ML lifecycle, enabling long-term sustainability, compliance, and auditability.
Decode high-dimensional biology and stay at the scientific frontier
- Integrate multimodal datasets – including omics, immunological data, clinical and real-world evidence, and scientific literature - to uncover biological insight and guide experimental and clinical decision-making.
- Continuously assess emerging AI methods and technologies, translating cutting-edge advances into practical, defensible applications for vaccine research.
Elevate AI fluency across the organization and represent Pfizer science externally
- Mentor Scientists and Engineers, foster scientific curiosity, and help build a culture where AI-enabled experimentation and learning are embedded in daily R&D practice.
- Publish, present, and engage with the broader AI, immunology, infectious disease, and vaccine/life-sciences community at leading scientific conferences and forums.
What you’ll bring
- PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Software Engineering, AI, or a related discipline OR
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Software Engineering, AI, or a related discipline and a minimum of 2 years of applied AI/ML experience in a Vaccines R&D, Life Sciences or other related discovery focused environment
- Working knowledge of vaccine R&D workflows, including target identification, antigen design and optimization, translational science, clinical development, or portfolio analytics.
- Experience operating fluently across disciplines - molecular biology, systems immunology, pharmacology, and statistics – grounding AI models in biological and clinical reality.
- Demonstrated expertise in foundation model, predictive modeling, generative AI, and ML system design.
- Strong programming skills in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow), with experience scaling models in cloud and/or HPC environments.
- Experience collaborating with Experimental Scientists, Clinicians, and cross-functional partners.
- Clear scientific communicator with intellectual curiosity and a mission-driven mindset focused on improving patient outcomes
Work Location Assignment: This is a hybrid role requiring you to live within commuting distance and work on-site an average of 2.5 days per week.
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