We are seeking an experienced, motivated and innovative individual to join us as an Associate Director, Statistical Pharmacogenetics in the Translational & Clinical Genetics team, which is part of the broader GSK Human Genetics and Genomics organisation. The successful candidate will design and deliver hands-on pharmacogenetic statistical analyses of clinical trial data, working in cross-functional teams to impact the GSK portfolio. You will have strong expertise in genetics and experience of undertaking genetic analysis of clinical trial data. You will have experience of a range of statistical genetic analyses including genome-wide single variant testing, burden testing, and investigating polygenic risk scores. You should also have experience in additional omics data (e.g., proteomics) and integrating it with genetics to generate novel translational insights in observational cohorts or clinical trial data.
The successful candidate will work directly with colleagues in Human Genetics and Genomics and closely with a range of other stakeholders in matrix teams, including but not limited to clinical statisticians and biomarker project leads. You will have the opportunity to work in and gain experience of different therapeutic areas through working on specific projects in clinical development. There may be opportunity for you to identify, establish and drive collaborations with external institutions aligned with strategic priorities. Additionally, you will be encouraged and supported in the ongoing development of your scientific expertise through your impactful work and its visibility to key stakeholders, completing development programmes, presenting your research and writing peer-reviewed publications. Overall, this is an exciting opportunity to undertake impactful genetic analyses working in a dynamic setting to help us better understand the medicines we’re developing.
At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting-edge technology to transform people’s lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients’ needs and have the highest probability of success. We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together.
In this role you will:
- Conduct hands-on pharmacogenetic analyses of clinical trials.
- Design and author statistical analysis plans and pharmacogenetic reports.
- Collaborate and work closely with colleagues in cross-functional teams to oversee the development and timely delivery of pharmacogenetic analyses and reports.
- Perform a range of statistical genetic analyses including, but not limited to, power calculations, single variant tests, burden tests, and polygenic risk scores.
- Integrate genetics and other omics data in analyses to gain novel translational insights.
- Understand the strengths and limitations of different statistical genetic analyses for pharmacogenetics.
- Evaluate and implement new methodologies and technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of genetic analyses.
- Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines in the field of pharmacogenetics.
Why you?
Qualifications & Skills:
We are looking for a professional with these required skills to achieve our goals:
- PhD or equivalent advanced degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g. statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, biomedical statistics, computational sciences, bioinformatics) with a history of impactful scientific publications and/or presentations.
- Expertise in statistical genetics
- Experience of conducting genetic analyses of clinical trial data
- Strong written communication skills to design and write pharmacogenetic statistical analysis plans and reports.
- Strong proficiency in at least one of R and Python, with experience of writing reproducible and scalable code that abides to FAIR principles.
- Excellent collaboration and partnership skills to work effectively with internal stakeholders across functions.
- Demonstrated experience of effectively communicating complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and in multidisciplinary teams to meet project timelines.
Preferred Qualifications & Skills:
If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:
- Extensive experience in genetics and preferably conducting analyses that integrate genetics with other omics data to generate novel translational insights.
- Familiarity with the common statistical approaches used to analyse clinical trials
- Experience of project management is desirable to enable oversight of pharmacogenetic studies from registration to archiving
- Familiarity with the stages of drug discovery and development
