Ontology Development Support

For the past 20 years, ProPharma has improved the health and wellness of patients by providing advice and expertise that empowers biotech, med device, and pharmaceutical organizations of all sizes to confidently advance scientific breakthroughs and introduce new therapies. ProPharma partners with its clients through an advise-build-operate model across the complete product lifecycle. With deep domain expertise in regulatory sciences, clinical research solutions, quality & compliance, pharmacovigilance, medical information, and R&D technology, ProPharma offers an end-to-end suite of fully customizable consulting solutions that de-risk and accelerate our partners’ most high-profile drug and device programs.

We are seeking a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to collaborate with semantic engineers and data modelers in the development of ontologies and structured vocabularies that support pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing.
As an SME, you will help define how we name and structure information using standard approaches from information science and informatics—such as controlled vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies. “Things” to be modeled include concepts like batch information, samples, analytical methods, instrument hardware modules, instrument events and actions, projects, people, places, compounds, processes, packaging materials, and more.
You will guide information architects and knowledge engineers by providing scientific and laboratory process expertise, ensuring that the resulting ontologies are grounded in real-world lab practices and scientific workflows.

Ideal Candidate Background

We are particularly interested in candidates who combine hands-on laboratory experience with a strong foundation in data modeling and ontology development. The ideal candidate may have:

• A PhD (or near completion) in a science-related field (e.g., chemistry, biology, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical sciences).

• Experience working in or closely with laboratory environments.

• Demonstrated expertise in ontology development, taxonomy management, or data stewardship.

• Familiarity with semantic technologies and metadata standards.

• A passion for structuring scientific knowledge to support data reuse, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with semantic engineers to design and refine ontologies that reflect scientific and operational realities.

• Translate complex lab and scientific processes into structured, reusable metadata models.

• Ensure consistency and accuracy in how concepts are named and related across systems.

• Anticipate and address downstream implications of metadata use across the data lifecycle—from data capture to regulatory submission and long-term preservation