Internship, Data Engineering & Bioinformatics (project: Data Models for the Real World: Paving the Way for AI-Driven Insights)

At Genmab, we’re committed to building extra[not]ordinary futures together, by developing antibody products and pioneering, knock-your-socks-off therapies that change the lives of patients and the future of cancer treatment and serious diseases. From our people who are caring, candid, and impact-driven to our business, which is innovative and rooted in science, we believe that being proudly unique, determined to be our best, and authentic is essential to fulfilling our purpose.

The role

Join our dynamic bioinformatics team at Genmab as a student data engineer, where you will play a crucial role in supporting our scientists by creating and managing sophisticated data architectures aligned with FAIR principles. In this position, you will focus on integrating real-world clinical and molecular data into graph database models to facilitate complex data analysis and enable innovative research methodologies. You will also explore the application of natural language processing for effective data querying. This internship offers a unique opportunity to develop expertise in data engineering technologies, contribute to bioinformatics solutions, and directly impact our research in developing groundbreaking therapeutic strategies. Your work will support essential projects aimed at enhancing drug discovery and development processes, fostering your growth as a data scientist and making a meaningful impact in the field of biomedicine.

Project Background

Translational research leverages real-world data sets to study how patients respond to cancer treatments. This research often involves integrating complex and non-standardized molecular and clinical data. Clinical datasets, designed to answer specific scientific questions, typically lack detailed data granularity, making exploration challenging. Understanding the clinical data model is crucial to selecting the appropriate variables for analysis.

This project proposes the use of graph databases to overcome these challenges by organizing data into a flexible, multidimensional structure that facilitates easier access and more intuitive querying. Graph databases, such as Neo4j or Amazon Neptune, allow for the discovery of implicit relationships within the data that traditional table-based databases might miss. Through this initiative, we aim to develop and evaluate AI-driven querying techniques using natural language, enhancing the ability to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets in translational research.

Responsibilities

• Technology Exploration: Investigate various graph database technologies and their applicability to managing clinical data, assessing their strengths and limitations in this domain.

• Data Model Comparison: Compare and analyze the data structures of graph and relational databases to identify the most effective frameworks for clinical data.

• Pilot Database Development: Design and implement a prototype database focused on the standardization of clinical real-world data, ensuring it supports robust data integration and access.

• Natural Language Query Development: Create methods to enable querying of graph databases using natural language, employing advanced AI technologies to facilitate intuitive data interactions.

• Findings Presentation: Regularly present progress and insights during team meetings, ensuring clear communication of developments and challenges.

• Bonus Objective: Develop a user interface that enables easy querying, and effective visualization and presentation of results from the database.

Requirements

• Education: You are a BSc/MSc student in bioinformatics, computational biology or a related field.

• Technical skills: Demonstrated strong technical skills, with substantial experience in Python programming. Familiarity with AWS is an added advantage.

• Soft skills: Comfortable with pioneering research and creative processes; scientific thinking and connecting that to technical requirements.

About You

• You are passionate about our purpose and genuinely care about our mission to transform the lives of patients through innovative cancer treatment
• You bring rigor and excellence to all that you do. You are a fierce believer in our rooted-in-science approach to problem-solving
• You are a generous collaborator who can work in teams with diverse backgrounds
• You are determined to do and be your best and take pride in enabling the best work of others on the team
• You are not afraid to grapple with the unknown and be innovative
• You have experience working in a fast-growing, dynamic company (or a strong desire to)
• You work hard and are not afraid to have a little fun while you do so

Locations

Genmab leverages the effectiveness of an agile working environment, when possible, for the betterment of employee work-life balance. Our offices are designed as open, community-based spaces that work to connect employees while being immersed in our state-of-the-art laboratories. Whether you’re in one of our collaboratively designed office spaces or working remotely, we thrive on connecting with each other to innovate.

About Genmab

Genmab is an international biotechnology company with a core purpose guiding its unstoppable team to strive towards improving the lives of patients through innovative and differentiated antibody therapeutics. For more than 20 years, its passionate, innovative and collaborative team has invented next-generation antibody technology platforms and leveraged translational research and data sciences, which has resulted in a proprietary pipeline including bispecific T-cell engagers, next-generation immune checkpoint modulators, effector function enhanced antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates. To help develop and deliver novel antibody therapies to patients, Genmab has formed 20+ strategic partnerships with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. By 2030, Genmab’s vision is to transform the lives of people with cancer and other serious diseases with Knock-Your-Socks-Off (KYSO™) antibody medicines.

Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark with locations in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. and Tokyo, Japan. 
 

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

We are committed to fostering workplace diversity at all levels of the company and we believe it is essential for our continued success. No applicant shall be discriminated against or treated unfairly because of their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. Learn more about our commitments on our website. 

Genmab is committed to protecting your personal data and privacy. Please see our privacy policy for handling your data in connection with your application on our website https://www.genmab.com/privacy.

Please note that if you are applying for a position in the Netherlands, Genmab’s policy for all permanently budgeted hires in NL is initially to offer a fixed-term employment contract for a year, if the employee performs well and if the business conditions do not change, renewal for an indefinite term may be considered after the fixed-term employment contract.