Postdoctoral Fellow: Generative AI for Protein Engineering
Pfizer
This listing was originally posted on Pfizer's careers page. Formulate is an equal opportunity job aggregator and is not involved in the hiring process. Where salary information is estimated, it is derived from BLS industry benchmarks and may differ from actual compensation.
Drug products linked to this role
Upgrade to Pro to access the AI-generated 'Read before applying' briefing and other premium pharma intelligence.
Upgrade to Pro — $25/moUse Your Power for Purpose
At Pfizer, our purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that transform patients’ lives. At the heart of this mission is our Research and Development organization, where advanced science and cutting‑edge technologies are translated into impactful medicines and vaccines. Across discovery, development, and clinical research, our scientists play a critical role in advancing innovative therapies that improve health outcomes for patients around the world.
Within Pfizer Research & Development, the Medicine Design (MD) group is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar to conduct independent and collaborative research in computational protein design and optimization. This postdoctoral position focuses on developing and applying modern computational and machine learning–based approaches to accelerate the discovery of next‑generation biologic therapeutics. The role sits at the intersection of machine learning, protein science, and therapeutic discovery, offering an exceptional opportunity to translate foundational AI research into real‑world drug design applications.
The selected postdoctoral fellow will pursue high‑impact, publishable research while working closely with multidisciplinary scientists across Pfizer R&D. In addition, the postdoc will join a cohort of AI‑focused postdoctoral researchers spanning a range of research topics, providing a vibrant community for peer mentorship, collaboration, and exposure to diverse applications of machine learning in drug discovery and development. The program strongly supports professional growth through structured mentorship, scientific publication, and career development.
What You Will Achieve
In this role, you will:
Conduct original research in computational protein engineering, with an emphasis on sequence- and structure-based generative modeling for protein fiducial design (i.e., RFDiffusion, ProteinMPNN).
Develop and deploy state-of-the-art ML methods for multi-objective, constraint-aware protein optimization, balancing affinity, stability, and developability.
Apply proprietary computational framework and ML models for protein developability engineering.
Communicate research findings through manuscripts, conference presentations, and internal seminars.
Be an active member of a highly interdisciplinary team, collaborate with computational and experimental researchers in a multidisciplinary research environment.
Basic Requirements (must have)
Ph.D. degree in computational chemistry, physical or biological sciences, chemical engineering, computer science, or related discipline.
Less than 2 years of post-degree experience.
Willingness to make a minimum 2-year commitment.
Candidates advancing to interview stage must provide two letters of recommendation.
Successful record of scientific accomplishments evidenced by scientific publications and/or presentations with at least 2-3 first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Strong familiarity with state-of-the-art protein engineering tools (i.e., RFDiffusion, ProteinMPNN (e.g., flow matching/diffusion models/antibody design/protein design/small molecule design).
Strong working knowledge of modern protein engineering and generative modeling approaches, such as RFdiffusion, ProteinMPNN, and related diffusion‑ or flow‑based methods applied to protein, antibody, and/or small‑molecule design.
Solid foundation in protein language models and structure‑aware generative models, with demonstrated application to biological sequence and structural data.
Hands‑on experience with machine learning and computational biology libraries, including PyTorch (required) and RDKit (required).
Proficiency in Python programming, with experience using components of the scientific Python ecosystem (e.g., NumPy, SciPy, pandas) for research and model development.
Familiarity with running compute‑intensive machine learning experiments, including experience with GPU‑accelerated workflows and high‑performance computing environments (e.g., Slurm) or a strong interest in developing these skills.
Strong intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for data‑driven research, with the ability to translate novel ideas into well‑designed computational experiments and research prototypes.
Preferred Requirements (nice to have)
Prior experience or demonstrated interest in antibody design or protein engineering.
Experience fine‑tuning foundation models using small and biased datasets.
Familiarity with antibody developability properties is highly desirable.
Experience with reinforcement learning, Bayesian optimization, or other advanced multi-objective optimization techniques.
Experience with molecular dynamics physics-based simulations
Experience training and deploying models in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, or GCP), including containers (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and basic MLOps practices (versioning, CI/CD, monitoring).
Additional Information
Relocation support available
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid
Last day to apply April 30th, 2026
Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.
Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.
U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.
Sunshine Act
Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.
EEO & Employment Eligibility
Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.
Pfizer endeavors to make www.pfizer.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com. This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.
Explore related positions you might be interested in
We'll notify you when matching roles are posted.
Interviewed at Pfizer?
Help others prepare — share your experience anonymously.
PHARMACEUTICAL
Solid Oral Dosage Forms
Upgrade to Pro to access all 3 linked drug products and competitive data and other premium pharma intelligence.
Upgrade to Pro — $25/moUpgrade to Pro to access AI interview prep brief and other premium pharma intelligence.
Upgrade to Pro — $25/mo