Associate Scientist, Postdoctoral Fellow - AI in Infectious Disease Modeling

Position Overview This position is in the vaccine modeling team of the Health Economic and Decision Sciences (HEDS) department within Biostatistics and Research Decision Sciences (BARDS) at our Research Laboratories. BARDS HEDS provides strategic and analytic modeling expertise to measure and quantify the value of our company's products. As part of an agile team, the fellow will develop and support a seamless mechanism of coordination and collaboration in a dynamic area of interdisciplinary research. Collaboration with modeling scientists, data scientists, IT partners, subject matter experts and leveraging generative AI will accelerate model deployment and improve consistency in global health decision‑making. Responsibilities Build a robust corpus of health economic infectious disease models using AI‑assisted systematic review techniques. Utilize advanced LLMs to precisely extract infectious disease model type, structure (states, transitions), and parameters (costs, utilities, probabilities). Implement an intelligent AI reasoning layer to evaluate consistency, completeness, and scientific validity across extracted models. Employ generative AI to propose new model structures, dynamically guided by disease‑specific needs and prior evidence. Apply the developed pipeline to critical case studies (e.g., RSV vaccine modeling) and rigorously compare AI‑generated models with existing approaches. Develop excellent working relationships within partner research laboratories and ensure effective cross‑functional collaboration across teams. Collaborate externally and solicit input from stakeholders and adopt latest techniques from relevant published literature. Disseminate key research findings and methodology via scientific presentations at congresses and publications in scientific journals. Education Minimum Requirement Candidates should currently hold a PhD or will receive a PhD by the start of employment in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a closely‑related quantitative field. Required Experience and Skills Previous experience with large language models (LLMs), natural language processing (NLP), or machine learning. Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++, with experience in model fitting, simulation, and data extraction workflows. Previous experience working on interdisciplinary research projects and/or within interdisciplinary teams. Ability to gather, organize, and synthesize complex information to draw conclusions and make recommendations. Strong creative problem‑solving skills. Strong interpersonal, networking, presentation, and communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively in English in both verbal and written formats. Preferred Experience and Skills Experience in prompt engineering, fine‑tuning, or evaluating large language models. Previous experience in health economic modeling and cost‑effectiveness analysis for infectious disease. Compensation and Benefits Salary range: $75,000.00–$86,000.00. Benefits include bonus eligibility, health care and other insurance benefits for employee and family, retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. Travel and Work Arrangement Travel: 10%. Work arrangement: Hybrid. Other Employment Details Employee status: Regular. Relocation: Domestic. Visa sponsorship: Yes. Shift: Not indicated. Valid driving license: No. Hazardous material(s): n/a. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For additional information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, please refer to EEOC resources. Location and Legal Compliance US and Puerto Rico residents only. The Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range under applicable state law. The Company complies with New York City, Colorado, Washington State, and California state law requirements. Accommodation can be requested during the application process. #J-18808-Ljbffr Merck & Co.