Novartis Posted June 26, 2026

Principal Scientist II/Senior Principal Scientist, PK Sciences Clinical Pharmacology Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lead (dual level posting)

Cambridge (USA), United States Regular
Clinical Development Principal

Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

LI#-HybridLocation: Cambridge (USA)We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated PK Sciences representative to lead the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled strategies to transform clinical pharmacology support of transformative new medicines. The successful candidate will offer insight into the development of AI-based applications to support strategic, scientific and operational leadership. They would focus on developing AI-based solutions to enhance the automation, innovation and acceleration of PKS/clinical pharmacology deliverables across the organization. Our unique organizational structure enables colleagues to work seamlessly in the translational and/or clinical space, offering opportunities for development and bench-to-bedside-to-bench translation. Experience in late discovery into clinical development is preferred. The scope of the role potentially includes small molecules, biologics/therapeutic proteins, antibody drug-conjugates, radioligand therapies and/or cell therapies across major therapeutic areas in Novartis, including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular renal metabolism, neuroscience, and global health. This position drives close interdisciplinary collaboration among the PK Science disciplines, Drug Disposition (ADME, BA), Modeling & Simulation (M&S), and Operations through PK science sub-teams to achieve a holistic and integrative perspective of the ADME/clinical pharmacology properties of candidates and drugs. Collaborate effectively with broader, cross disciplinary project teams to ensure PKS strategies are well integrated into project plans and scientific discussions.

Key responsibilities:Brings strong AI and digital fluency, using enterprise tools to further strategic, scientific and operational leadership in clinical pharmacologyIdentifies, develops and implements high-value use cases where AI can materially improve clinical pharmacology planning, analyses and decision quality.Represent the PK Sciences function in project teams, interactions with stakeholders within the organization and interactions with regulatory agencies, as appropriateProactively contributes to developing drug candidates across Research Development and Commercial continuum, providing expert pharmacokinetic / drug metabolism and clinical pharmacology inputWork with teams to use AI to accelerate and enhance the understanding of nonclinical and clinical PK/PD relationships and development dosing strategies and predictionsChampion the use of AI to accelerate and enhance the provision of , dosage, and PK/PD components of study protocols, reports, project summaries and development plans, and author pharmacokinetic/clinical pharmacology/biopharmaceutics sections of IND/IMPDs and NDA/BLAs as well as prepare appropriate responses to Health Authority questionsDrives close interdisciplinary collaboration among the PK Science disciplines, Drug Disposition (ADME, BA), Modeling & Simulation (M&S), through PK science sub-teams.Works in close collaboration with clinicians and clinical development colleagues to integrate PKS insights into study design, data interpretation, and project decision‑makingModels the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) approaches to enable model guided molecular design, preclinical and clinical data automation, and authoring regulatory documents.This role reports to a Therapeutic Area head within PK Sciences within Translational Medicine (TM) in Biomedical Research. PKS is a global organization situated within Translational Medicine (TM), the clinical research arm of Biomedical Research within Novartis. PK Sciences plays a pivotal role in bringing innovative medicines to patients, by building on research advances to develop new therapies, bridging drug discovery and clinical application. PK Science is an enterprise-wide organization, working across both Biomedical Research and the Development organizations to advance the scientific knowledge of pharmacokinetics, metabolism and clinical pharmacology.Essential RequirementsPh.D. / Pharm.D. with relevant experience in clinical pharmacology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics or a related background.A minimum of 0-2 years of experience in drug discovery and/or development in a relevant environment (academia, CRO, biotech or Pharma).2+ years of experience preferably in a lead role overseeing ADME/DMPK project strategy in clinical development, or in AI strategy, to be considered for Principal Scientist II. 4+ years of experience to be considered for Senior Principal Scientist.Extensive and in-depth knowledge of pharmacokinetics including, drug metabolism and PK/PD evaluation, experience in working in project teams (preferably global) as well as sound awareness of recent developments in drug development and regulatory sciences.Exposure to working in a cross-functional, matrixed, project-team environment.Strong oral and written communication skills.Desirable RequirementsHands-on project experience with Artificial intelligence (AI) approaches and examples of applying AI to clinical pharmacology topics is a plusThis is a dual posting. The final level & title of the offer role would be determined by the hiring team based on the skills, experience & capabilities required to perform the role at the level the role has been offeredThe salary for this position is expected to range between:Principal Scientist II: $119,700 and $222,300 per year.Senior Principal Scientist: $138,600 and $257,400 per year.The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors. Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves. To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Cambridge (USA), United States
Employment type
Regular

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Clinical Development role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 254 comparable Principal Clinical Development roles across 35 biopharma companies.

254Comparable roles tracked
224Currently active
35Companies hiring similar roles
23Countries represented

Salary context

94 of 254 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $119,700/yr – $222,300/yr
Peer group range $90,199 – $392,100 (median $264,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 254 comparable roles

United States136
India50
Spain12
United Kingdom10
China4
Switzerland4

+ 17 more countries

Seniority mix

254 of 254 peers have a known seniority level

Director141
Senior91
Principal22

Therapeutic area mix

73 of 254 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology34
Immunology16
Cardiovascular / CVRM7
Respiratory6
Neuroscience5
Dermatology & Aesthetics2
Ophthalmology2
Rare Disease1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Tarrytown, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Principal Scientist - Clinical Pharmacology Modeling and Simulation
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist, Clinical Research - Immunology/Dermatology
Merck · Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Clinical Research & Development Associate Principal Scientist
AstraZeneca · Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist, Clinical Research, Immunology
Merck · San Diego, California, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.