GSK · 1 day ago
Director, Head of Computational Design
Cambridge, MA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$178K/yr - $297K/yr
8+ years expGSK is a global biopharma company dedicated to advancing health through innovative medicines and vaccines. They are seeking a Director, Head of Computational Design, responsible for leading the design and application of advanced computational methods in mRNA and vaccine development while mentoring a high-performing team.
BiotechnologyHealth CarePharmaceutical
Responsibilities
Provides strategic vision and leadership for computational molecular design initiatives within VIDRU Data Sciences, with a primary focus on next generation mRNA design, vaccine, antigen and NLP platform development
Leads and manages a multidisciplinary team of computational design scientists, fostering a culture of high performance, scientific innovation, and continuous professional development
Directs the development and application of advanced computational design methodologies, including structural bioinformatics, molecular modeling, and protein/nucleic acid engineering, with a strong emphasis on mRNA sequence and structure optimization
Drives the leveraging of AI and LLMs for de novo design, optimization, and predictive modeling (e.g., molecular stability, protein expression, immunogenicity) of antigens, mRNA, LNPs, adjuvants, and monoclonal antibodies/ADCs
Ensures scientific integration by embedding computational design experts within discovery project teams, providing critical data science expertise from early-stage research through candidate selection and optimization, particularly for mRNA and platform-specific data
Integrates computational predictions with experimental validation via active learning loops, establishing strong links with DiscoTech laboratories to accelerate iterative molecule design and optimization cycles
Establishes strong collaborative links with DPLs, VDLs, PILs, TPLs and clinical sciences teams to ensure computational design insights directly inform and accelerate pipeline progression
Drives innovation in computational design analytics by partnering closely with GSK's AIML and R&D Tech divisions, and external academic/industry Key Opinion Leaders, exploring and integrating novel AI/ML methods and computational paradigms
Qualification
Required
PhD or equivalent experience. Computational Biology, Data Science, Mathematics and Physics, Biological or Chemical Engineering, Bioinformatics, Computational Life Sciences or equivalent
In depth theoretical background and practical experience on quantitative sciences applied to biology and strong competences in computer science
Research experience and publication record in one or more of the relevant areas of expertise
8+ yrs in scientific experience, including four years of direct/matrix people management and international leadership responsibilities (e.g. principal investigator for international R&D projects in relevant areas)
Proven capacity to use the theoretical background and education to solve actual problems of R&D projects working and leading teams in cross-functional setting. This role shall act as a global reference person for the function and perform people management and coaching of global staff
Preferred
Demonstrated strong proficiency / publication record in one or more of the following areas:
Advanced molecular modelling and simulation (e.g., molecular dynamics, docking, free energy calculations)
Structural bioinformatics and protein engineering for antigen/vaccine design
Leading application of AI and LLMs for de novo mRNA design, optimization of mRNA sequence and structure, and predictive modelling for mRNA-based therapeutics
Computational design of nucleic acid-based therapeutics (e.g., mRNA, viral vectors) and their delivery platforms (e.g., LNPs)
Predictive modelling for molecular stability, protein expression, and immunogenicity
Chemoinformatic and rational drug design principles
High-performance scientific computing infrastructures for large-scale computational design projects
Experience with active learning frameworks for experimental design and optimization
Benefits
Health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
Retirement benefits
Paid holidays
Vacation
Paid caregiver/parental and medical leave
Company
GSK
We are uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. Our community guidelines: https://gsk.to/socialmedia
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
GSK has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (45)
2024 (56)
2023 (54)
2022 (53)
2021 (54)
2020 (72)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$25.51MKey Investors
CARB-X
2021-03-02Grant· $18M
2020-09-23Grant· $7.51M
1978-01-13IPO
Leadership Team
Julie Brown
CFO
Mike Elmore
SVP & Chief Information Security Officer, GSK
Recent News
2026-01-16
2026-01-13
South China Morning Post
2026-01-08
Company data provided by crunchbase