Union: Non-Union
Number of Vacancies: 1
New or Replacement Position: New
Site: MaRS
Department: Research
Reports to: Senior Scientist
Salary Range: $78,954 - $118,424 Per Year
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Shifts: Day Shifts
Status: Permanent Full-time
Closing Date: October 30, 2026
Position Summary:
We seek a talented and driven Data Scientist passionate about accelerating drug discovery through machine learning and AI to join our team at the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC). As a Data Scientist at SGC, you will play a central role in developing and deploying state-of-the-art machine learning models that extract actionable insights from complex biomedical datasets, including DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) screens, to identify and optimize drug candidates for challenging protein targets. Your work will directly contribute to our mission of open science and pre-competitive drug discovery.
The candidate will be assisted by software developers to leverage internal tools (AIRCHECK) in order to develop, train and test machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) predictive models, independently or in collaboration with other experts in the Haibe-Kains and Schapira labs and other SGC collaborators.
Duties
- Design, build, and deploy end-to-end machine learning pipelines, from raw data ingestion and preprocessing through model training, evaluation, and production deployment.
- Develop and apply predictive models to DEL screening data and other high-dimensional biomedical datasets to prioritize drug-like compounds for defined protein targets.
- Implement and fine-tune deep learning architectures (transformers, graph neural networks, generative models) for molecular property prediction and de novo drug design.
- Perform rigorous exploratory data analysis, statistical modelling, and visualization to surface meaningful patterns in large, noisy biomedical datasets.
- Establish and maintain MLOps best practices, including model versioning, pipeline automation, experiment tracking, and reproducible workflows.
- Collaborate closely with structural biologists, medicinal chemists, and bioinformaticians to translate scientific questions into robust machine learning solutions.
- Present findings, methodologies, and model performance clearly to both technical collaborators and non-technical stakeholders.
- Stay current with the latest advances in ML/AI for drug discovery and proactively evaluate and integrate novel approaches into the team’s research workflows.
- Bachelor’s, Master’s or higher degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Chemistry, or a related field.
- Masters’ with 4 years related experience.
- Bachelor’s degree with 6 years related experience
- Proven experience designing and implementing machine learning models, particularly in drug discovery or biomedical domains.
- Strong expertise in developing end-to-end ML pipelines, from data preprocessing to model deployment, using Python and related libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, pandas, NumPy).
- Hands-on experience working with DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) data or similar complex, high-dimensional biomedical datasets.
- Familiarity with MLOps practices, including model versioning, pipeline automation, and reproducible workflows (e.g., MLflow, Airflow).
- Proficiency in deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras, with experience building transformers, graph neural networks, or generative models.
- Deep understanding of feature extraction, model evaluation metrics, and optimization techniques for noisy biomedical data.
- Demonstrated ability to perform exploratory data analysis, statistical modelling, and data visualization for large datasets.
- Experience collaborating within multidisciplinary teams, effectively bridging domain experts and technical staff.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present ML findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Proven track record of staying current with emerging ML techniques and the ability to innovate on new model architectures or approaches in drug discovery.
Why join UHN?
In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.
- Competitive offer packages
- Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
- Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
- A flexible work environment
- Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
- Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)
Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.
All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.
UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates. Please ensure you check your email regularly. At University Health Network (UHN), artificial intelligence technologies may be used to assist in the screening, assessment, and selection of candidates for this position.
Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.
UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.