Postdoctoral Fellow – AI-Driven Multi-Omics Integration for Predictive Toxicology
- United States - Connecticut - Groton
Pfizer’s Drug Safety Research and Development (DSRD) team is actively seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow in AI-Driven Multi-Omics Integration for Predictive Toxicology—an opportunity to push the boundaries of AI, biology, and drug safety innovation.
The postdoctoral fellow will develop and apply foundation model (FM) and machine learning approaches to integrate multi-omics data — including transcriptomics and proteomics — generated from preclinical in vitro and in vivo safety studies. The fellow will benchmark biological foundation models (e.g., scGPT, GeneFormer) alongside linear and classical ML baselines against curated cross-species toxicology datasets, build end-to-end AI pipelines that connect early omics readouts to downstream pathology, clinical chemistry, and other endpoints to uncover subtle biological signals predictive of human toxicity.
By leveraging cutting-edge AI methods, the project aims to identify novel molecular biomarkers and early indicators of drug-induced safety liabilities, enabling cross-species prediction of human-relevant safety risks from preclinical data. This research will directly support predictive toxicology and translational safety decisions in drug development, helping inform go/no-go and de-risking strategies.
Progress in this area will be driven by strong scientific contributions – peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and potentially open-source analytical tools – to ensure the impact of this work both within Pfizer and in the broader scientific community. The ideal candidate will have a solid background in computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field, proficiency in AI/ML techniques, and a passion for applying cutting-edge models to real-world biomedical data in order to advance drug safety science.
Role Responsibilities:
Benchmark foundation and linear models against a curated cross-species omics dataset library spanning decision-relevant toxicity endpoints (liver, cardiac, hematopoietic), defining performance criteria that are meaningful for safety go/no-go decisions.
Develop and validate AI-driven integration pipelines that combine multi-omics data from early toxicology studies with historical endpoints — pathology scores, clinical chemistry, and PK data — using foundation models and interpretable ML approaches.
Perform retrospective compound analyses to quantify where early omics-based model outputs could have anticipated findings from GLP or Phase 1 studies and prospectively integrate targeted in vitro datasets to measure the incremental predictive value of each data modality.
Implement scalable Python and/or R workflows for data ingestion, model training, evaluation, and visualization, including APIs or interactive applications to support internal stakeholder adoption
Collaborate with toxicologists, pathologists, data scientists, and external partners to integrate in silico, in vitro, and in vivo results into translational safety frameworks.
Communicate findings through internal reports, peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and open-source software releases to influence both internal safety processes and the broader field of computational toxicology.
Basic Qualifications:
Ph.D. in computational biology, bioinformatics, computational toxicology, systems biology, or a related scientific field.
Experience: 0–2 years postdoctoral or post-PhD research experience (candidate must have completed doctorate within the past 2 years). Willingness to make a minimum 2-year commitment to the fellowship (fixed-term role). Two letters of recommendation will be required for final interviews.
Scientific Contributions: Demonstrated research productivity with at least one first-author publication published or submitted in a peer-reviewed journal.
Technical Skills: Proficiency in programming and data analysis using Python and/or R. Strong statistical and machine learning skills for analyzing complex biological datasets.
Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with high-dimensional biological data (such as transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics) and a basic understanding of molecular biology or toxicology to contextualize data-driven findings.
Advanced AI/ML Expertise: Hands-on experience with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, scikit-learn) and large-scale machine learning models. Exposure to representation learning, transformer-based architectures, or self-supervised learning on biological or biomedical data is a strong plus.
Multi-Omics & Bioinformatics: Experience with single-cell or bulk RNA-seq analysis pipelines (e.g. Scanpy, Seurat, DESeq2).
Preferred Qualifications:
Translational Insight: Knowledge of toxicology, pharmacology, or biomarker discovery – for example, understanding common preclinical safety study endpoints or translational research – is an advantage. Ability to interpret and validate model results in a biological/toxicological context will be valuable.
Collaboration & Communication: History of interdisciplinary collaboration and strong communication skills. Experience working in cross-functional research teams or with external collaborators (academia or industry) on complex data projects is a plus.
PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to perform complex data analysis and quantitative modeling tasks. Must be able to concentrate on computational work (e.g. coding, data interpretation) for extended periods and perform precise, detail-oriented mathematical calculations as required.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Relocation support available
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid
Last day to apply May 24, 2026
Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.
U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.

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)