AI/ML Engineer - Vaccines Modeling and Antigen Discovery

We are looking to identify an AI/ML Engineer - Vaccines Modeling and Antigen Discovery who will play a strategic role at the intersection of artificial intelligence, vaccinology, and translational science.

You will help define the future of AI-driven vaccinology, with the potential to impact human lives globally.

Embedded within Vaccines R&D, supporting viral and bacterial vaccine programs, you will help define how advanced AI methods are applied to unlock new biological insights and accelerate next-generation vaccine innovation.

As an AI Science Engineer, you will work shoulder-to-shoulder with leading Scientists, Immunologists, and Clinicians to translate complex biology into differentiated vaccine strategies. Your work will go beyond proof‑of‑concept models - your AI systems will directly inform scientific hypotheses, experimental design, and portfolio decisions across the vaccine pipeline.

What you’ll do:

Model immune response and translational biology

• Conduct the development of predictive and multimodal models of vaccine-induced immune responses, including humoral, cellular, systems immunology, and durability readouts.

• Advance translational modeling approaches that connect preclinical, clinical, epidemiological, and real-world evidence to support dose selection, patient stratification, correlates of protection, and clinical study design.

Accelerate novel antigen discovery and rational vaccine design

• Apply foundation models, generative AI, structure-aware learning, protein language models, and sequence-to-function modeling to identify, optimize, and prioritize novel vaccine antigens.

• Integrate computational antigen design with experimental feedback loops to improve immunogenicity, breadth, manufacturability, developability, and translational relevance.

Build AI-ready data foundations and advance agentic AI and organizational AI fluency

• Partner across scientific, clinical, data, and technology teams to make vaccine R&D data AI-ready through rigorous data standards, metadata, ontologies, quality control, provenance, governance, and reusable data products.

• Design and responsibly deploy agentic AI workflows that support scientific reasoning, literature synthesis, knowledge management, experimental planning, model interpretation, and decision traceability in Vaccine R&D.

• Mentor Scientists, Engineers, and cross-functional partners to raise AI fluency, promote responsible adoption, and represent Pfizer’s scientific leadership at the interface of AI, immunology, infectious disease, and vaccine innovation.

What you’ll bring

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Software Engineering, AI, or a related discipline OR

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Software Engineering, AI, or a related discipline and a minimum of 2 years of applied AI/ML experience in a Vaccines R&D, Life Sciences or other related discovery focused environment

• Working knowledge of vaccine R&D workflows, with emphasis on immune-response modeling, antigen discovery and optimization, and translational science.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and apply quantitative and AI/ML-enabled approaches for translating preclinical immunogenicity, efficacy, and systems-biology readouts into clinically relevant predictions.

• Proven experience working across cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams, including immunology, molecular biology, serology, bioinformatics and data science, to ensure AI models are biologically grounded, experimentally actionable, and clinically meaningful.

• Demonstrated expertise in foundation model, predictive modeling, generative AI, and ML system design.

• Strong programming skills in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow), with experience scaling models in cloud and/or HPC environments.

• Experience collaborating with Experimental Scientists, Clinicians, and cross-functional partners.

• Clear scientific communicator with intellectual curiosity and a mission-driven mindset focused on improving patient outcomes

Work Location Assignment: This is a hybrid role requiring you to live within commuting distance and work on-site an average of 2.5 days per week.

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $106,000.00 to $176,600.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 15.0% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.

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.

To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers.

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