Senior Associate, Data Science & Applied AI

This is a hybrid position requiring the team member to be onsite for 3 days per week.No relocation assistance is provided for this opportunity.

Who we are:

At West, we’re a dedicated team that is connected by a purpose to improve patient lives that has been at the center of our Company for more than a century. Our story began when Herman O. West solved the problem of supplying penicillin in mass quantities to the US Government during World War 2. Through our work to deliver thousands of life-saving and life-enhancing injectable medicines to millions of patients daily, West’s indelible mark on the healthcare industry has just begun. A name started our story. How will yours help write our future?

There’s no better place to join an inclusive community of professionals with opportunities for lifelong learning, growth and development. Supported by benefit programs, we empower the physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our team members and their families.

We believe in giving back to help those in need in the communities where we live and work. And are equally committed to creating a healthier environment and planet through our sustainability efforts.

Job Summary

The Senior Associate, Data Science and Applied AI will develop AI methods and research applications at the intersection of materials science, biology and pharmaceutical drug containment and delivery.

Working with West’s R&D scientists, laboratory teams and AI engineers, this role will use machine learning, generative AI and scientific computing to accelerate materials characterization, experimental design, biological assessment and product development. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in either materials science or biology, working knowledge of the other discipline, and demonstrated ability to apply AI to scientific problems.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify high-value research opportunities where AI can accelerate materials discovery, biological assessment, formulation, testing or product development.
• Develop machine-learning and statistical models using experimental, materials, biological, imaging and scientific-literature data.
• Apply AI to areas such as polymer and coating performance, structure-property relationships, material-drug interactions, biocompatibility, extractables and leachables, and degradation or stability.
• Build predictive models, scientific knowledge systems and decision-support tools for West scientists and engineers.
• Apply techniques such as active learning, Bayesian optimization, graph-based learning, computer vision, multimodal modeling and scientific foundation models.
• Use generative AI and agentic workflows to support literature review, patent analysis, hypothesis generation and research synthesis.
• Partner with laboratory scientists to design experiments that validate model predictions and generate higher-value datasets.
• Integrate structured laboratory data with scientific documents, images and other unstructured information.
• Quantify model accuracy, uncertainty, generalizability and scientific limitations.
• Develop reproducible code, data pipelines, evaluation methods and technical documentation.
• Translate research prototypes into usable tools in partnership with AI engineering, D&T, Quality and R&D teams.
• Communicate findings, assumptions and recommendations to scientific, technical and business stakeholders.
• Support intellectual-property development through invention disclosures, technical reports and patent-related analysis.
• Follow West requirements for data integrity, quality, information security, responsible AI and scientific rigor.

Education

• Bachelors degree in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Biology, Bioengineering, Computational Biology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related scientific discipline required, Masters degree preferred.

Work Experience

• Minimum 3 years of relevant scientific research, applied AI or computational-modeling experience; doctoral research may be considered as relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI, machine learning or advanced statistical methods to materials or biological research.
• Experience working with experimental scientists and translating scientific questions into computational approaches.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Deep expertise in either materials science or biology, with sufficient knowledge to work across the interface between materials and biological systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and scientific-computing libraries.
• Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn or comparable machine-learning frameworks.
• Knowledge of experimental design, statistical inference, uncertainty quantification and model validation.
• Experience with materials informatics, bioinformatics, computational biology, chemoinformatics or molecular modeling.
• Familiarity with polymeric materials, elastomers, coatings, surface science, drug-container interactions or biocompatibility.
• Experience analyzing spectroscopy, microscopy, mechanical-testing, molecular, assay or other laboratory datasets.
• Familiarity with large language models, scientific retrieval-augmented generation and knowledge graphs.
• Exposure to Azure AI Foundry, Azure Machine Learning, Azure OpenAI or comparable cloud platforms.
• Ability to distinguish scientifically supportable conclusions from exploratory model outputs.
• Strong technical writing, communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Experience in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, combination products or regulated research environments preferred.
• Candidates are encouraged to provide publications, patents, research projects, code repositories or other evidence of interdisciplinary scientific and AI work. #LI-Hybrid #LI-MC1

Travel Requirements

10%: Up to 26 business days per year

Physical Requirements

Sedentary-Exerting up to 10lbs/4kgs of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

What We Offer

Community Involvement: West encourages volunteerism through its West without Borders initiative and other charitable programs that make a difference in local communities.

Continuous Learning & Development: Opportunities for professional growth through training programs, tuition assistance, leadership development, and skill-certification initiatives.

Global Career Opportunities: With facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, employees have opportunities for international exposure and cross-functional collaboration.

Inclusive & Collaborative Culture: A global workforce that values diversity, equity, and inclusion-where all voices are heard and respected in a supportive environment.

Recognition & Rewards:

Performance-based bonuses, service recognition, and employee appreciation initiatives celebrate dedication and impact.

West is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you have a special need that requires accommodation in order to apply to West, please send an email to [email protected]. Where permitted by law, an offer of employment with West Pharmaceutical Services, or any of its subsidiary or affiliate companies, is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of background screening.