Principal Scientist I, Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) Modelling and Simulation at Novartis (Hyderabad)
Job Description
Novartis is recruiting a QSP modelling scientist in Hyderabad at Principal Scientist I level to build mechanistic disease models (systems biology, quantitative systems pharmacology and PK/PD-disease models) that inform scientific and development decisions from discovery through early clinical development. The post works with the PKS modelling and simulation group named in the posting, with therapeutic areas, and with biology, clinical and data-science colleagues.
At a glance
- Position: Principal Scientist I, QSP modelling and simulation (requisition REQ-10080386)
- Where: Hyderabad office, India
- Experience: 2 to 5 years in academia or industry
- Degree: PhD, or MSc with relevant experience
- Posted: 17 August 2026
- Apply: 28 September 2026, the end date shown for this posting in Novartis’s careers system
What the QSP modelling scientist at Novartis Hyderabad does
- Develop and apply mechanistic disease models to understand how diseases progress and how they respond to treatment
- Run modelling end to end: data curation, model building, calibration, qualification and simulation
- Turn biological and clinical questions into modelling approaches together with biology, PKS, clinical and data-science teams
- Combine preclinical, clinical and literature data into predictive disease models
- Simulate and analyse model outputs to support target validation, biomarker understanding and study design, and explain the results to project teams
- Help improve the team’s modelling workflows, tools and good practice, and contribute to reports, presentations and, where appropriate, publications
Why this role stands out
Mechanistic models let drug-development teams ask “what if” questions about targets, biomarkers and trial designs before running costly experiments. This post suits a PhD from systems biology, pharmacometrics, bioengineering or applied mathematics who wants to see models used in real development decisions, and it keeps a route to publishing open.
What Novartis is looking for
- A PhD, or an MSc with relevant experience, in biology, bioengineering, pharmacology, applied mathematics or a related quantitative field
- 2 to 5 years of experience in academia or industry with exposure to disease modelling, systems pharmacology, PK/PD modelling or similar mechanistic approaches
- Expert command of modelling fundamentals: scripting in languages such as MATLAB or R, building ordinary differential equation models, parameter estimation, data visualisation and basic data science
- Proficiency in PK/PD, QSP and/or mechanistic physiologically based PK/PD (PBPK/PD) modelling
- The ability to present modelling results to multidisciplinary audiences, and fluent spoken and written English
Nice to have
- A background in clinical pharmacology, physiology or translational medicine (among the skills the posting lists as desired)
- Familiarity with the drug discovery process and with simulation software
Pay and location
Novartis does not state a salary in the posting. The role is full time and office-based in Hyderabad.
How to apply
Apply through the official Novartis page. The closing date is 28 September 2026, the end date shown for this posting in Novartis’s careers system.
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Hiring institution: Novartis
Official advertisement: novartis.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
How to prepare for this application
- Present one model: prepare a short walk-through of a mechanistic model you built: the biology, the ODE structure, how you estimated parameters and how you checked it against data.
- PK/PD basics: revise compartmental PK, Emax and turnover models, and be clear on how QSP models differ from empirical PK/PD.
- Model credibility: expect questions on parameter identifiability, sensitivity analysis, virtual populations and model qualification.
- Tools: the posting names MATLAB and R; be ready to show code or discuss packages you have used for ODE models and parameter estimation.
- Communication: practise explaining a model result to a biologist or clinician in two minutes without equations.
About Novartis
Novartis is a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel that focuses on innovative medicines. This role is based at its Hyderabad office and supports drug discovery and early development programmes through disease modelling.
