Postdoctoral Fellow-R&D Science Engineer
- United States - California - La Jolla
- United States - Massachusetts - Cambridge
- United States - Washington – Bothell
- United States - New York - Pearl River
- United States - Connecticut - Groton
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
Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.
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.
Pfizer endeavors to make www.pfizer.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com. This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.
Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives
Research confirms what intuition tells us: that purpose-driven companies perform better, are more innovative, attract and retain the best people, and know how to unleash the power of those people. Pfizer’s purpose—Breakthroughs that change patients' lives—fuels everything we do and reflects our passion for building on our legacy as one of the greatest contributors of good to the world.
Each word in our purpose has meaning and reflects the value we strive to bring to patients and society:
“Breakthroughs” - These are the innovations, scientific and commercial, that we seek to deliver every day. All colleagues, regardless of role, level or location, strive for breakthroughs every day.
“Change” - We want to do more than simply improve patients’ medical conditions; we want to dramatically change their lives for the better.
“Patients’ lives” - We consider not only patients, but everyone they touch—including their families, caregivers, and friends—and everything they love to do. It’s an intentionally holistic view.
Our purpose ensures that patients remain at the center of all we do. We live our purpose by sourcing the best science in the world; partnering with others in the healthcare system to improve access to our medicines; using digital technologies to enhance our drug discovery and development, as well as patient outcomes; and leading the conversation to advocate for pro-innovation/pro-patient policies.
Every decision we make and every action we take is done with the patient in mind—and to nurture an environment where breakthroughs can thrive.
Our Values
To fully realize Pfizer’s purpose, we have established a clear set of expectations regarding “what” we need to achieve for patients and “how” we will go about achieving those goals.
The “how” is represented by four simple, powerful values—courage, excellence, equity, and joy—that define our company and our culture.
Courage: Breakthroughs start by challenging convention, especially in the face of uncertainty or adversity. This happens when we think big, speak up, and are decisive.
Excellence: We can only change patients’ lives when we perform at our best together. This happens when we focus on what matters, agree who does what, and measure our outcomes.
Equity: We believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for. This happens when we are inclusive, act with integrity, and reduce healthcare disparities.
Joy: We give ourselves to our work, but it also gives to us. We find joy when we take pride, recognize one another, and have fun.
Pfizer Research & Development
Pfizer Research & Development serves as the beating heart of Pfizer's trailblazing product pipeline, the essence of our mission to bring life-changing medicines to the world.
With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we use a multidisciplinary approach that blends scientific expertise, cutting-edge technologies, and strategic collaborations, igniting a powerful engine that propels groundbreaking discoveries into life-saving treatments for patients in need.
Through our relentless pursuit of progress, we envision a future where cutting-edge medicines pave the way to healthier, happier lives worldwide.
Benefits at Pfizer
Pfizer offers competitive compensation and benefits programs designed to meet the diverse needs of our colleagues. Our Pay for Performance Philosophy and Practices reward colleagues based on the contributions they make to our business.
Our Competitive Benefits Programs help our colleagues by:
- Promoting Health and Wellness to help colleagues maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Pfizer offerings include health and disability insurance, preventative health programs, medical screenings, free or reduced-cost vaccinations, discounts on Pfizer products, mental health support, nutrition and fitness counseling and more.
- Strengthening Colleagues’ Financial Security by providing company contributions to retirement plans, life insurance and financial planning education to help colleagues achieve their financial goals.
- Providing Benefits and Time off for the Moments that Matter to ensure Pfizer colleagues have the time away from the office to recharge, recover and return to work as the best version of themselves. Vacation, Holiday time and Sick time are just the beginning, with a 12 week parental leave policy for both parents of a new born, 10 day of caregiver leave for those times when your family needs you whether it’s a child, spouse or parent, bereavement leave, and additional country-specific programs.
- And so much more, depending on your country and site, Pfizer offers childcare facilities or discount programs, on-site health and/or fitness centers, movement and mindfulness solutions, “Log in for your Day” work flexibility and so much more.
For U.S. based jobs, view an overview of Pfizer’s U.S. benefits program (opens in a new window)