Bioinformatics Scientist - III; Senior

Bioinformatics Scientist III - Complex Disease Genetics

Cambridge, MA

Pay Rate: $90 – 106/hr W2

Must Be Able To Work Fully Onsite

• Required expertise with multi-omics data analysis and integration (e.g., RNA-Seq, single-cell RNA-Seq).
• Transcriptomics analysis.
• Proficiency in R and Bash.
• High-performance computing (HPC) systems and AWS Cloud Computing (e.g., IAM, S3 buckets).

• PhD (or equivalent) in statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, population genetics, computational biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, epidemiology, or a related quantitative discipline, with a minimum of 5 years of postdoctoral or equivalent research experience in complex disease genetics.
• Research experience in human genetics, genomics, or related analysis, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and/or multi-omics analysis.
• Familiarity with analytical pipelines and best practices for reproducibility and scalability in genetic data analysis.
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in statistical genetics (e.g., R, Python, etc.).
• Experience working with large-scale datasets in cloud-based computing and high-performance computing environments.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

• Experience with molecular phenotypes, such as transcriptomics or proteomics.
• Interest or background in cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, immunology, neuroscience, or other complex diseases.
• Experience with AI/ML methodology and/or application to genetics and omics analysis.

The Complex Disease Genetics (CDG) group within Merck’s Data, AI and Genome Sciences (DAGS) Department is seeking a motivated scientist to support our Cambridge-based research initiatives in complex disease genetics. We welcome applications from scientists with a graduate degree (PhD or equivalent) in statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, computational biology, biostatistics, or a related quantitative field with hands‑on experience analyzing human genetics and multi-omics data.

Merck has invested in external partnerships and collaborative initiatives to accelerate innovation in drug discovery and development. The CDG group leverages large-scale data resources, such as Finn Gen, the Alliance for Genomic Discovery, Our Future Health, UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, Open Targets, and other public and proprietary datasets, to advance Merck’s drug development pipeline through human genetics. The candidate will contribute to the analysis of these large-scale datasets to support target identification and validation and the implementation of precision medicine strategies across therapeutic areas.

• Perform statistical genetics analyses for target discovery and validation using human genetics and multi-omics data.
• Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of analytical pipelines for reproducible genetic and genomic data analysis.
• Conduct genetic association analyses using large-scale biobank data (e.g., UK Biobank, Finn Gen, Our Future Health, Alliance for Genomic Discovery).
• Integrate and analyze public and proprietary genetic association summary statistics and conduct meta-analyses.
• Perform post‑GWAS analyses to help elucidate causal mechanisms and prioritize gene targets (e.g., fine mapping, colocalization, Mendelian Randomization, TWAS, polygenic risk prediction).
• Assist in integrating genetic association findings with multi‑omics data (e.g., RNA‑seq, ATAC‑seq, QTLs) to support target prioritization.
• Stay current with new methods in statistical genetics and participate in evaluating and implementing emerging analytical techniques.
• Collaborate with wet‑lab biologists, disease area experts, and data scientists to support research and patient stratification strategies.

This 24+ month contract assignment has a tentative start date of July 20th 2026.

JSG offers medical, dental, vision, life insurance options, short‑term disability, 401(k), weekly pay, and more. Johnson Service Group (JSG) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. JSG provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.