Director, Data Science

About Formation Bio

Formation Bio is a tech and AI driven pharma company differentiated by radically more efficient drug development. 

Advancements in AI and drug discovery are creating more candidate drugs than the industry can progress because of the high cost and time of clinical trials. Recognizing that this development bottleneck may ultimately limit the number of new medicines that can reach patients, Formation Bio, founded in 2016 as TrialSpark Inc., has built technology platforms, processes, and capabilities to accelerate all aspects of drug development and clinical trials. Formation Bio partners, acquires, or in-licenses drugs from pharma companies, research organizations, and biotechs to develop programs past clinical proof of concept and beyond, ultimately helping to bring new medicines to patients. The company is backed by investors across pharma and tech, including a16z, Sequoia, Sanofi, Thrive Capital, Sam Altman, John Doerr, Spark Capital, SV Angel Growth, and others. 

You can read more at the following links:

• Our Vision for AI in Pharma
• Our Current Drug Portfolio
• Our Technology & Platform

At Formation Bio, our values are the driving force behind our mission to revolutionize the pharma industry. Every team and individual at the company shares these same values, and every team and individual plays a key part in our mission to bring new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently.

About the Position

As AD/Director of Data Science - Platform at Formation Bio, you will lead one of two critical arms of our Data Science function, focusing on building predictive capabilities that drive our drug acquisition and development strategy. In this role, you'll pioneer the development of sophisticated models to predict clinical outcomes—determining drug efficacy, safety profiles, and optimal indications—to create a data-driven portfolio that maximizes patient impact and probability of success.

The Platform Science team will transform how we evaluate and prioritize drug assets through advanced AI/ML models, with a critical focus on transitioning proof-of-concept efforts into scalable products through close collaboration with engineering and product teams. These predictive models will seamlessly integrate with our Clinical Development processes, directly impacting trial design and execution. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of data-driven drug development, building foundational science that enables Formation Bio to identify and develop the most promising therapeutics while ensuring these capabilities evolve into robust, production-ready systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Platform Science arm of Data Science, building predictive models that drive drug acquisition and portfolio optimization decisions
• Partner with engineering and product teams to transition proof-of-concept models into scalable, production-ready systems
• Define technical execution strategy for clinical outcome prediction, indication expansion, and asset prioritization
• Drive the Probability of Technical Success (PoTS) program and predictive modeling efforts using multi-modal data (literature, -omics, RWD)
• Collaborate with executive leadership, business development, and clinical teams to translate predictions into acquisition strategies
• Foster a culture of rapid execution while maintaining rigorous validation standards

About You

Required Qualifications 

• PhD in computational sciences or life sciences
• 7+ years of post-PhD industry experience in life sciences (biotech, pharma, or consulting) with at least 3+ years in people management
• Deep expertise in AI/ML for predicting biological/clinical outcomes with validated examples
• Demonstrated success in partnering with engineering/product teams to productize data science capabilities
• Exceptional communication skills with ability to influence senior executives and deliver on aggressive timelines

Preferred Qualifications 

• Track record of building models that influenced drug acquisition, licensing, or portfolio decisions
• Experience transitioning AI/ML models from research to production in regulated environments
• Deep expertise in clinical outcome prediction, indication expansion methodologies, and real-world evidence validation
• Strong experience with LLMs, Graph Neural Networks, and multi-modal data integration (-omics, RWD, literature)
• Experience with large-scale biobank data and genomics (UK BioBank, FinnGen, AllofUs)
• Background working at the intersection of data science, product development, and business strategy in pharma/biotech

Formation Bio is prioritizing hiring in key hubs, primarily the New York City and Boston metro areas, with additional growth in the Research Triangle (NC) and San Francisco Bay Area. Please only apply if you reside in these locations or are willing to relocate.

Compensation:

The target salary range for this role is: $280,000 - $340,000.

Salary ranges are informed by a number of factors including geographic location. The range provided includes base salary only. In addition to base salary, we offer equity, comprehensive benefits, generous perks, hybrid flexibility, and more. If this range doesn't match your expectations, please still apply because we may have something else for you.

You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

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