Scientist, Computational Biology & Human Genetics

Overview

Alnylam (Nasdaq: ALNY) is delivering on a bold vision to turn scientific possibility into reality, with a robust RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics platform. As the pioneer in RNAi and the leading RNAi therapeutics company, we have always been uncompromisingly dedicated to translating the breakthrough science into transformational medicines to help as many people as possible. Long focused on rare and genetic diseases, our scientific advances are now allowing us to bring the power of RNAi therapeutics to more prevalent diseases and as a result, we are beginning to recognize the full potential of this new class of medicines.

Alnylam is committed to its journey to become a top 5 independent, global biopharma company. We are already admired and recognized for our dedication to patients, company culture that empowers people to do their best work, track record of scientific innovation, social responsibility, and commercial excellence.

Founded in 2002, and headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Alnylam has over 1,650 employees at work across the globe. We are seeking smart, passionate, “change the world” kind of people who are ready to say, “challenge accepted” to our mission. Thanks to the commitment of every employee globally, Alnylam is proud to have been recognized as one of Fast Company’s 2021 Best Workplaces for Innovators, a Science Magazine Top Employer three years in a row (2019-2021), a Boston Globe Top Places to Work seven years in a row (2015-2021), a Great Place to Work in Asia, Japan, Brazil, the U.K., Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, France and Switzerland, Seramount’s 100 Best Companies (formerly Working Mother 100 Best Companies) and Best Companies for Dads, Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index two years in a row (2021-2022), among others. At Alnylam, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment, culture, and workforce, and we support several Employee Resource Networks.

The Research Department at Alnylam is seeking a passionate and creative scientist to join the Alnylam Human Genetics (AHG) team and play a leading role in applying human genetics in drug discovery and development. AHG has access to multiple large genetic datasets including whole exome sequencing data fjor ~470,000 individuals in the UK Biobank and has recently joined Our Future Health which will collect genetic and health information on 5 million individuals. Our team is focused on mining genetic data to make new discoveries relevant to drug development. This is an exciting opportunity to transform insights from human genetics into new opportunities to help patients that have limited treatment options today. The successful candidate will be part of a team conducting in-depth analyses of human genetic data to 1) fuel our efforts to identify novel drug targets in important disease areas and 2) gain biological insights into targets and drugs we are already pursuing that will enhance the development path of our medicines and enable us to reach more patients. We are open to in-person or hybrid working in Cambridge, USA or Maidenhead, UK, or a fully remote position.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

• Perform large GWAS and rare variant studies to identify novel drug targets to discover new therapeutic opportunities for Alnylam.
• Identify and implement the latest statistical and analytical methods to help us make discoveries.
• Work with the genetics team to build computational capabilities through phenotype and genotype curation and software development.
• Work closely with project teams to design computational genetic analyses that will aid in critical decision-making at every stage of drug discovery and development (biology of targets, pharmacodynamic biomarkers, safety assessment, clinical trials, commercial development.)
• Prepare, review, and deliver high quality scientific manuscripts and presentations for internal/external use.

Qualifications

• PhD in statistical genetics, computational biology, bioinformatics, genetics, genomics, or related field with experience in mining large population cohort datasets to discover sequence variants associated with disease. Title is commensurate with experience.
• Background in human disease biology.
• Experience of gaining insights from GWAS results by integrating results with gene and variant annotations.
• Strong proficiency in a statistical programming language (preferably R.)
• Experience with distributed computing, databases, and shell scripting.
• Knowledge of statistical packages commonly used for GWAS and rare variant association studies (e.g., FastPCA, PLINK, SAIGE, REGENIE, SKAT, coloc, etc.).
• Experience conducting and critically interpreting the results of Mendelian randomization.
• Good communication skills and a track record of publishing in high impact scientific journals.
• If employed in the U.S., being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is required

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is an EEO employer committed to an exciting, diverse, and enriching work environment.