Senior Director, Discovery Data Sciences

Role Summary

Senior Director, Discovery Data Sciences at GSK. Lead the Discovery Data Sciences (DDS) group within the Data, Automation, and Predictive Sciences (DAPS) function to accelerate medicine discovery through advanced computational and data science solutions. Forge a unified team spanning biologics, genomics, discovery biology, and more; partner with RTech, R&D units, and cross-functional teams to deliver predictive models and platforms that maximize scientific impact and automate discovery processes.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary data science partner to research line leaders within RTech, embedding your team to directly support portfolio projects across all therapeutic modalities.
• Translate scientific challenges from the pipeline into actionable computational strategies and deliver solutions that accelerate decision-making and increase the probability of success.
• Ensure data and predictive insights are accessible and interpretable, empowering researchers to make timely, data-driven decisions.
• Establish metrics to track the impact of predictive models and computational approaches on pipeline progression.
• Forge a unified organizational structure for the combined data science groups, creating a cohesive model based on core scientific and technical functions.
• Develop and execute a long-term strategic roadmap positioning the group as the predictive engine within DAPS and the broader R&D organization.
• Co-develop robust, scalable, integrated platforms (ML modeling environments, automated design systems, in silico engineering suites) in partnership with Discovery Engineering Sciences.
• Collaborate with RDDT to ensure scalable deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of scientific applications within Onyx and QEL environments.
• Work with Discovery Integration Sciences and Automation to enable data, modeling, and software components for priority technology builds and automated discovery systems (LIAL).
• Lead data asset strategy with Research Data Office, ensuring data adheres to FAIR principles and is ready for AI/ML applications.
• Provide input on data governance, quality, and lifecycle management as a primary data generator and consumer.
• Cultivate a culture of pioneering AI/ML research, including generative AI and active learning, to solve portfolio challenges.
• Allocate time and resources for exploring novel computational methods to keep scientific support at the cutting edge.
• Lead and develop a global team of computational scientists, data engineers, and bioinformaticians.
• Attract and retain top talent by fostering a collaborative, scientifically impactful environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry/Biology, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or related quantitative field.
• 12+ years in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry with at least 8 years in a leadership role overseeing multi-disciplinary computational science teams.
• Deep expertise in cheminformatics, computational biology, protein design, structural biology, bioinformatics, or genomics; broad understanding across several domains.
• Proven track record applying AI/ML to solve complex biological and chemical problems with tangible project impact.
• Preferred: transformational leadership, ability to unify diverse teams, excellent cross-functional collaboration, strategic thinking, and global leadership experience.
• Strong communication skills with ability to influence across science, technology, and executive leadership.
• Vision for applying modern ML, including generative models, in R&D; experience with automated research frameworks is a plus.

Skills

• Advanced AI/ML techniques (including generative models and active learning)
• Data governance, data quality, and FAIR data principles
• Strategic roadmapping and organizational design for data science functions
• Collaborative leadership across global, matrixed organizations
• Platforms for ML modeling, automated design, and in silico engineering

Education

• Ph.D. in a relevant quantitative field (as listed in Basic Qualifications)

Additional Requirements

• Location: 2-3 days per week at a GSK R&D site in the USA (Upper Providence, PA, or Cambridge Tech Square, MA) or the UK (Stevenage).