Data Scientist – mRNA Research (New Grad) – Moderna
Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) is the pioneer of mRNA medicine — delivering its COVID-19 vaccine to 900+ million people worldwide and now building a pipeline of 48 mRNA programs spanning infectious disease, oncology, rare disease, and cardiovascular medicine. Moderna describes itself as a "digital biotech" — its mRNA platform is programmable, and data science is at the core of everything from sequence design to clinical trial optimization. Moderna's Digital team uses AI to accelerate mRNA drug development on a timeline no traditional pharma company can match. We are hiring New Grad Data Scientists in Cambridge to work on the data science powering the next generation of mRNA medicines.
Responsibilities
- Develop machine learning models for mRNA sequence optimization — predicting immunogenicity, protein expression, and stability from sequence features using deep learning on Moderna's proprietary mRNA design datasets
- Analyze NGS (next-generation sequencing) data from mRNA manufacturing and quality control processes to detect sequence variants and predict batch performance
- Build clinical trial analytics pipelines for Moderna's 48-program pipeline — processing immunogenicity assay data, adverse event signals, and biomarker correlates of protection
- Develop predictive models for mRNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation optimization — predicting delivery efficiency and tissue targeting from formulation composition data
- Create data visualizations and dashboards enabling Moderna's research scientists and clinical teams to explore complex multi-omics datasets
- Support Moderna's personalized cancer vaccine (mRNA-4157 with Merck) program data science — processing tumor neoantigen prediction data and individualized vaccine design pipelines
Requirements
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Data Science, or Bioengineering
- Python proficiency with scientific computing libraries (numpy, pandas, biopython, scikit-learn, PyTorch)
- Understanding of molecular biology, genomics, or RNA biology is highly valued
- Experience with NGS data analysis, sequence modeling, or drug discovery informatics is a plus
- Passion for using data science to transform how medicines are discovered and delivered
Benefits
- Competitive salary with Moderna RSU equity and annual bonus
- Work at the company redefining medicine with mRNA technology
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
- 401(k) with Moderna matching
- Cambridge, MA biotech hub location with Moderna's energetic research culture