Postdoctoral Fellow-R&D Science Engineer

Pfizer is building an AI first R&D engine where artificial intelligence is a foundational scientific force, redefining how medicines are discovered, developed, and delivered from molecule to patient. 
 

As part of Pfizer’s R&D Postdoctoral Fellow Program, AI focused science engineers are embedded where science happens, working directly within our core research organizations, from Quantitative Systems Pharmacology, Inflammation & Immunology and Oncology to Vaccines and Internal Medicine. Fellows collaborate across the R&D enterprise, bringing AI to critical challenges in Internal Medicine, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, and Oncology to help drive the discovery and development of breakthrough medicines. 
 

As an AI R&D Postdoctoral Fellow, you will work shoulder-to-shoulder with leading scientists, clinicians, and drug developers, translating complex biology and clinical challenges into deployable AI solutions. Your work will extend beyond experimentation; your models and methods will directly inform molecular design, study strategy, and decision-making across the drug development lifecycle. 
 

This program is built for emerging science engineers, typically within one to two years of postgraduate training, who want their work to matter beyond publications. At Pfizer, we invite you to use your power for purpose by applying AI at the intersection of biology and medicine, tackling real problems that can influence how breakthrough therapies are discovered and developed, with the potential to improve outcomes for patients around the world. 
 

Role Responsibilities 

In this role, you will: 

• Design, develop, and apply advanced AI and machine learning methods to address high impact scientific challenges across the drug discovery and development lifecycle. 
• Translate models across datasets, modalities, and disease areas using approaches such as transfer learning, representation learning, and domain adaptation. 
• Perform integrative and metanalyses of largescale, multisource datasets to generate robust, generalizable insights. 
• Curate, harmonize, and quality control complex scientific and clinical datasets to enable rigorous statistical analysis and machine learning model development. 
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams spanning biology, chemistry, pharmacology, clinical science, and data science to ensure AI solutions are scientifically grounded and decision relevant. 
• Communicate scientific findings clearly and transparently through internal forums and external publications, producing high impact, peer reviewed work while safeguarding confidential information and supporting reproducibility. 

Qualifications 

We are seeking candidates who demonstrate strong technical foundations, scientific rigor, and a passion for applying AI to meaningful real-world problems. 

• PhD in a relevant discipline such as Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Statistics or Biostatistics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Computational Chemistry, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Informatics, Immunology, or a related field. 
• Early career researcher (no more than 2-years of postdoc working experience)  
• Able to commit to a minimum two-year postdoctoral fellowship.
• Demonstrated scientific achievement through first author publications, peer reviewed contributions, or significant scientific presentations. 
• Experience applying AI/ML to real world problems, including predictive modeling, generative models, representation learning, or ML system design. 
• Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch and/or TensorFlow. 
• Experience working with large, complex, or heterogeneous datasets, including data curation, model evaluation, and scalable computing environments (cloud and/or HPC). 
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines including biology, chemistry, pharmacology, statistics, engineering, or clinical science, translating computational approaches into scientific context. 
• Familiarity with reproducible and responsible AI practices, including version control, transparent reporting, and awareness of model limitations and bias. 
• Strong communication skills, intellectual curiosity, and a mission driven interest in advancing science and improving patient outcomes. 
 

Nice to have: 

• Exposure to applied research or R&D workflows where analytical outputs inform decisions. 
• Code or reproducible research artifacts (e.g., GitHub, GitLab). 

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Sunshine Act

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EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status.  Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA.  Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.  This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

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Research and Development