The Impact You’ll Make

We are seeking an experienced Senior Scientist in Automation/Medicinal Chemistry to accelerate our internal and partnership drug discovery portfolio. This role, bridging AI-enabled design and cutting-edge automated synthesis, is central to our mission. 

Operating our Milton Park site, you will take ownership for delivery of compounds through our state-of-the-art Automation Studio and, by collaborating closely with drug designers, drive impactful outcomes for drug discovery programs within our pipeline.

You will have a track record of leadership from the lab, and combine deep medicinal and synthetic chemistry expertise with a commitment to modernizing the drug discovery process. A self-starter who can lead effectively from the bench and operate strategically.

In this role, you will:

• Design, prioritise, and tactically execute synthetic routes for small‑molecule targets, strategically using our Chemistry Automation Platform, our well-equipped traditional synthesis laboratories and CRO support to meet project goals on tight timelines.
• Build a strong collaborative partnership with computational and medicinal chemists to use the full capabilities of both the Centaur Chemist (design) and Chemistry Automation (synthesis) platforms including optimising methodologies, workflows, and best practices. 
• Adapt core synthetic medicinal chemistry tactics onto the automation platform by collaborating with software developers and module owners, validating feasibility, defining safe and scalable conditions, and documenting processes clearly for reuse.
• Act as primary medicinal chemist supporting a drug discovery project accountable for deliverables and ensuring successful outcomes, working with a senior project lead for program‑level strategy.

The Team You’ll Join 

You’ll join the Milton Park based Chemistry Automation group, a multidisciplinary team of chemists and automation specialists who partner closely with discovery and platform teams across Recursion. The group operates a state-of-the-art Chemistry Automation Platform supported by well-equipped synthesis and spectroscopy laboratories, that combines automated synthesis and purification, high-throughput experimentation, and integrated analytical workflows to deliver high-quality small-molecule synthesis for our discovery portfolio.

You will work closely with the drug design groups as part of the wider chemistry function, and be embedded into a program team tasked with advancing internal or partnership drug discovery programs leveraging the Recursion platform. 

The Experience You’ll Need

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry, or a BSc/MSc degree with equivalent industry experience. In addition, significant relevant industry experience and evidence of impact.
• Proven ability to design, prioritize, and tactically execute small molecule drug discovery, including expertise in route design, optimising challenging reaction conditions and prosecuting medicinal chemistry with automated synthesis.
• Experience in the application of automation in synthesis in an industrial setting (e.g. use of liquid handling or powder dispensing for library synthesis, HTE for reaction optimisation, flow chemistry) with enthusiasm to work directly with automated systems.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to influence and work cross-functionally to ensure alignment on priorities, facilitating collaboration. 
• Fluency in modern medicinal and computational chemistry software tools such as workflow builders, basic cheminformatics packages, structure based design and data visualisation tools.

Working Location & Compensation:

This is a lab-based role in our Milton Park site. Employees are expected to work on-site 100% of the time, with occasional flexibility.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £70,400 to £93,500. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package. 

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The Impact You’ll Make

Recursion is at the forefront of reimagining drug discovery and development through broadening the funnel of potential targets, using technology and standardization to build connected data. As a research scientist in the primary pharmacology department you will design, plan and execute a variety of experiments ensuring that the assays are fit-for-purpose, and that data is appropriately quality-controlled. In our new, state-of-the-art laboratories, you will utilize a wide array of assay technologies and automation capabilities. We are committed to deploying the latest advancements and optimising processes for quality and efficiency. You will leverage your scientific and cell-based expertise to design and implement experiments, driving our drug discovery projects forward.

In this role, you will:

• Develop cell-based and biochemical assays to help drive development of small molecule therapeutics with a focus on compound characterisation and the rapid identification of candidate molecules.
• Implement latest scientific developments and evaluate new technologies.
• Collaborate with cross functional project teams to drive drug discovery programs forward by producing decision making data in timely manner.
• Engage in continual learning and development, gaining exposure to multiple scientific disciplines and the drug discovery process, from initial target identification through to candidate selection.

The Team You’ll Join

You will join the Primary Pharmacology team, who are based in Milton Park, Abingdon, at Recursion. The Primary Pharmacology team is a group of project-facing biochemists and cell biology scientists that support drug discovery projects from target validation to candidate selection. Core functions within this team include assay development, HTS, routine screening, cell culture, and automation.

The Experience You’ll Need

• BSc/MSc/Ph.D. in Oncology, Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or related discipline; or equivalent experience, in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry.
• Expertise in in vitro assay development and optimisation.
• Hands-on experience with cell and enzymatic plate-based assays with practical knowledge of a wide range of assay technologies (e.g., BRET, time resolved FRET, luminescent Glo assays, fluorescence intensity/ fluorescence polarisation assays, flow cytometry, high-content imaging, cell viability/proliferation assays, second-messenger and signalling pathway assays, cell binding & target engagement assays).
• Experience in small molecule high-throughput screening, including dose-response relationship analysis.
• Ability to work in a highly dynamic, fast-paced cross-functional environment.
• Proficiency in sterile techniques and cell culture.

Working Location & Compensation:

This is a lab-based role in our Milton Park site. Employees are expected to work on-site most of the time, with occasional flexibility.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £41,000 to £52,000. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package. 

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The Impact You’ll Make

We are expanding our in-vitro pharmacology capabilities at our Milton Park site and are seeking a motivated and dynamic early career scientist to join the Biology Automation team and Primary Pharmacology group.

In this role, you will work on a leading-edge automation platform, helping to push laboratory automation towards autonomous science and entirely hands-free assay execution.

You will be work within the team to ensure that the large-scale automation platform meets its objectives and that all our automated assays are fit-for-purpose and appropriately quality-controlled.

You will regularly run biochemical and cell-based screening assays that deliver high-quality data to project teams and learn how to develop and validate new assays. This includes being responsible for analysing and reporting data while providing interpretation and context in project team meetings, as well as troubleshooting any issues with assays and equipment.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and run automated, semi-automated and manual biochemical and cell-based assays, to help drive development of small molecule therapeutics with a focus on compound characterisation and the rapid identification of candidate molecules.
• Implement latest scientific developments and evaluate new technologies.
• Collaborate with cross functional project teams to drive drug discovery programs forward by producing decision making data in timely manner.
• Engage in continual learning and development, gaining exposure to multiple scientific disciplines and the drug discovery process, from initial target identification through to candidate selection.
• Innovate in a truly leading-edge automation laboratory, pushing the boundaries of drug discovery and laboratory automation.

The Team You’ll Join

You will join the Primary Pharmacology group as part of a small team focused mainly on laboratory automation, but also providing key assay data of our own to project teams.

The group provides critical data, driving multiple drug discovery projects within multidisciplinary project teams. We work on a range of target classes that could include kinases, proteases, epigenetic targets, or protein:protein interactions etc.

Our work covers indications including but not limited to Oncology, Neurology, and Immunology/Inflammation, often in areas of highly novel biology.

These positions are primarily laboratory-based and offer significant scope for personal growth and continual learning across a range of activities dependent on your experience and ambition.

The Experience You’ll Need

• Education: BSc/HND in Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or a related discipline.
• Technical Knowledge: A good understanding of Enzyme kinetics (e.g., Michaelis-Menten kinetics and mechanism of action studies) and data analysis regarding dose-response relationships.
• Assay Technologies: Practical understanding of biochemical techniques and technologies such as Fluorescence, Luminescence, FRET, and Fluorescence Polarisation (FP).
• Automation Interest: A keen interest in automation, robotics, and laboratory liquid handling.
• Soft Skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical information to a non-specialist audience.
• Adaptability: Flexible, adaptable, and able to work across multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

Nice to have

• Some work experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Experience of Medium or High Throughput Screening (HTS) and in vitro assay development, assay optimisation and validation.
• Previous use of automation or liquid handling equipment.

Working Location & Compensation:

This is a lab-based role in our Milton Park site. Employees are expected to work on-site 100% of the time, with occasional flexibility.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £41,000 to £52,000. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package. 

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The Impact You’ll Make

We are seeking a Senior Separation Scientist to join our Chemistry Automation team at our labs in Milton Park. In this primarily lab-based role, you will be responsible for maintaining and operating an analytical and purification suite within the experimental Chemistry Automation Platform. You will work closely with synthetic and automation chemists, ensuring the delivery of purified compounds and high-quality analytical data to meet drug discovery program needs. 

Working in our state-of-the-art laboratories, with a fleet of 10 highly specialised HPLC and SFC instruments, you will be encouraged to evaluate and deploy the latest technical developments to create efficient, holistic processes that support multiple drug discovery programs across the portfolio.

In this role, you will:

• Maintain and operate a fleet of ten+ highly specialised HPLC and SFC instruments as part of the experimental Chemistry Automation platform, including day‑to‑day operation, troubleshooting, and preventative maintenance, partnering with vendors and internal support teams as needed
• Own the purification lifecycle from crude material to pure compound, including automated fraction consolidation and QC checks
• Design and implement new processes, workflows, and techniques (such as chromatographic logD and EPSA) to improve the capability and capacity of the analytical suite as we grow and develop our automated platform for drug discovery programs 
• Provide separation science expertise to guide chemical synthesis workstreams and module development in cross-functional matrix teams 

The Team You’ll Join 

You’ll join the Milton Park based Chemistry Automation group, a multidisciplinary team of chemists and automation specialists who partner closely with discovery and platform teams across Recursion. The group operates a state-of-the-art Automation Studio, supported by synthesis and spectroscopy laboratories, that combines automated synthesis and purification, high-throughput experimentation, and integrated analytical workflows to deliver high-quality small-molecule synthesis for our discovery portfolio.

Day to day, you’ll collaborate with synthetic, analytical, and automation chemists, technicians, and platform engineers to deliver pure compounds and high-quality reaction data. The team values practical problem-solving, clear communication, and a continuous-improvement mindset, and you’ll be encouraged to contribute to both project delivery and the evolution of our tools and processes over time.

The Experience You’ll Need

• MSc/BSc Chemistry, Analytical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related science with strong industrial experience in purification and separation science in synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.
• Proven experience in the operation of analytical LC-MS and SFC-MS instrumentation.
• Proven experience in analytical to preparative scale up strategies, and the operation of mass guided purification systems.
• Experience with chiral screening and purification methodologies.
• Proven experience troubleshooting and maintaining state-of-the-art instrumentation.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to communicate technical information to a non-specialist audience while working across multiple projects

Working Location & Compensation:

This is a lab-based role in our Milton Park, Oxfordshire office. Employees are expected to work on-site 100% of the time, with occasional flexibility.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £70,400 - £93,500 (GBP). You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package. 

The Impact You’ll Make

We are growing our chemistry team at Recursion and are seeking a Research Synthetic Chemist to join our Automated Chemistry group. We are looking for an individual that thrives in a dynamic and collaborative team environment and successfully adopts new technologies and workflows to accelerate drug discovery.

You will independently convert synthesis requests into structured experimental plans for our state-of-the-art Chemistry Automation platform. You will collaborate with other scientists and automation specialists with our chemistry team to meet project deadlines by providing hands-on experimental support and take ownership of your experimental work to deliver compounds and reaction data. 

With structured training and drawing on previous experience of lab automation or methodology development, you will develop deep familiarity with the Chemistry Automation Platform and workflow software, and be able to propose, develop and translate new methodologies onto the automated platform in collaboration with senior chemists and automation engineers. 

In this role, you will:

• Execute synthetic routes by seamlessly integrating traditional laboratory techniques with our automated chemistry platforms to deliver high-quality compounds independently for drug discovery projects.
• Translate synthetic methods to the automation platform utilising critical thinking and your technical knowledge of chemical reactivity and methodology development. 
• Learn how to diagnose and resolve chemical or procedural issues within our automated workflows seeking assistance from automation specialists where needed.
• Collaborate with teams at the interface of automated chemistry, medicinal chemistry, software and hardware engineering to develop our platform and tools to better serve patients
• Champion a culture of laboratory excellence by taking a proactive approach to HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) standards and maintaining a high-performance lab environment. 

The Team You’ll Join 

As a core member of Recursion’s Automated Chemistry team, you will join a multidisciplinary group of highly skilled scientists and engineers. This team operates at the technological cutting edge, focusing on the application of automation and advanced cheminformatics tools to synthetic organic chemistry in support of our medicinal chemistry programmes.

The Experience You’ll Need

• A PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry or BS/MSc degree in Chemistry (with equivalent experience) and experience of performing synthetic organic chemistry in an industrial setting.
• Adept at safely planning and executing chemical synthesis for medicinal chemistry or equivalent applications delivering high quality contributions in an independent manner.
• Demonstrable experience of adopting computational tools, new software or lab automation with a positive impact on throughput or data quality.
• Strong communication skills, ensuring clear and concise information exchange with peers and key stakeholders.

Preferred

• Exposure to automation in synthesis (e.g., liquid handling, HTE, powder dispensing, parallel synthesis, or flow), even if not yet the primary focus of your role.
• Experience supporting library expansions or direct-to-biology in a medicinal chemistry or discovery context.

Working Location & Compensation:

This position is based at our office located in Milton Park (Bell Labs), UK. We operate a hybrid environment, but this lab‑based role requires the majority of time onsite to perform hands‑on experimental work and collaborate directly with the Automation Chemistry team. Specific onsite expectations can be discussed during the hiring process.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £52,000 to £70,400. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package. 

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Recursion is a leading, clinical-stage TechBio company decoding biology to industrialize drug discovery. Central to its mission is the Recursion Operating System (OS), a platform built across diverse technologies that continuously expands one of the world’s largest proprietary biological, chemical and patient-centric datasets. Recursion leverages sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to distill from its dataset a collection of trillions of searchable relationships across biology and chemistry unconstrained by human bias. By commanding massive experimental scale—up to millions of wet lab experiments weekly—and massive computational scale—owning and operating one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world—Recursion is uniting technology, biology, chemistry and patient-centric data to advance the future of medicine.

In this role, you will:

• Build, scale, and operate a data platform. You will be a member of the platform team responsible for building, operating, and tuning a data platform that allows users to discover and query across the breadth of our data at Recursion, which includes a chemistry library of billions compounds, petabytes of cellular microscopy images taken in millions of different experimental contexts, and millions of assay results, all supporting Recursion’s drug discovery.
• Build relatability into a heterogeneous dataset. At Recursion, we generate datasets based on a wide swath of diverse biological models and treatment approaches. You'll work with biologists, chemists, and data scientists to build relatability and query-ability into these datasets so they can be used in the future to answer the sorts of questions we haven't even thought of asking yet.
• Act as a mentor, coach, and sponsor. You will share your technical knowledge and experiences, delivering impact, learning, and growth across teams at Recursion.

The Team You’ll Join

• You will join the Data Lake team that built and maintains our Data Lake/house. The team is responsible for relational and object storage and has the motto: all data flows to the Data Lake. The team solves the problem of making our diverse data discoverable, queryable, and relatable across datasets while we continue to add new data modalities as we grow. This will require collaboration with many different groups including teams building out reports, dashboards, and applications, teams finding and generating the required data for machine learning problems, and teams building and iterating on new data processing pipelines.

The Experience You’ll Need

• 5+ years of deep experience in modern, cloud-based data engineering. You have a proven track record of building and maintaining robust platforms that enable the discovery, query, and processing of large-scale datasets.
• Expertise in Core Technologies (Mandatory): You possess advanced proficiency in Python and SQL and experience with Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, etc.), and Agentic Development (Cursor, Claude, etc.)
• Data Fundamentals & Architecture: You have a deep understanding of Relational Databases (Postgres, MySql, etc.) and are proficient in working with data container files (e.g., Parquet, Avro, etc.). You are familiar with Medallion Architecture (Bronze/Silver/Gold) and know how to apply its principles to build scalable, reliable data products.
• Cloud & Platform Operations: You are seasoned in at least one major cloud provider (GCP, AWS, or Azure). You are comfortable in a "DevOps" capacity—specifically managing the infrastructure and tools that empower other engineers to run their pipelines, rather than focusing solely on building ETL flows.
• Hands-On: You understand the trade-offs between different architectures (Data Lake vs. Warehouse) and can make high-level decisions regarding CI/CD and system maintenance. Crucially, you are a "doer" who enjoys getting into the weeds of implementation, not only designing the blueprint.
• Collaborative Problem Solver: You thrive in environments with significant technical ambiguity. You can navigate complex systems and diverse technologies to deliver solutions that are easily monitored, quantified, and understood in production.
• People-First Mindset: You prioritize supporting your coworkers’ growth. We value a culture where meeting deadlines never comes at the expense of being a helpful, empathetic teammate.
• Intellectual Curiosity: While a background in drug discovery, biology, or chemistry isn't required, a drive to learn the domain and explore new technologies is essential!

• Cloud: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), GCS, Pub/Sub.
• Tools: dbt, Prefect, Argo Workflows, BigQuery, Snowflake, Fivetran, Datastream, AI/LLM (Cursor, Claude Code, and Gemini available).
• Infrastructure: Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, CI/CD (Argo).

Working Location & Compensation:

This position can be based at either our London or Milton Park office. Please note that we are a hybrid environment and ask that employees spend 50% of their time in the office.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £75,900 - £101,900. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package.

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The Impact You’ll Make

We are seeking an innovative Research Scientist to join our Experimental Immunology team at our new state of the art laboratories in Oxford. In this primarily lab-based role, you will provide critical cellular data to support therapeutic projects, often venturing into areas of novel biology. You will work within the Recursion Discovery team to uncover solutions for a variety of target classes and I&I indications. 

You will have the freedom to design, plan, and execute complex experiments and help drive projects from target ideation through validation and into adoption in the portfolio. You will develop translationally relevant screening assays and function as an immunology expert within project teams. This role offers substantial scope for continuous learning, with exposure to all stages and disciplines of the drug discovery process. You will also have the opportunity to present your findings both internally and externally and will have access to state-of-the-art assay technologies (FRET, Luminescence, FACS, High-Content Imaging) and advanced automation and will be encouraged to evaluate and deploy the latest scientific developments to create efficient processes

In this role, you will:

• Design and execute complex in vitro assays using primary human immune cells and patient-derived tissues for use in target validation, mechanism of action studies and small molecule screening.
• Working closely with team leads to actively contribute to projects through the entire development lifecycle by supporting the transition from initial target ideation to advancing in the pipeline
• Deploy state-of-the-art technologies such as flow cytometry and high-content imaging to address key scientific questions. 
• Advance early drug discovery programs by incorporating the latest scientific developments into workflows and by working closely with external collaborators to ensure generation and delivery of critical data
• Provide immunology expertise to guide in vitro and in vivo workstreams in cross functional matrix project teams

The Team You’ll Join 

You will be joining an established immunology group consisting of several experienced immunologists working across a number of indication spaces. The experimental immunology team work on a wide range of projects spanning target ideation through to advanced preclinical programs. You will work within project strategy and execution set by project leaders, and collaborate extensively with data scientists, chemists, and biologists throughout the organization and externally, to advance milestones and provide insights to further advance Recursion’s capabilities. 

The Experience You’ll Need

• Ph.D in Immunology or a related discipline or a BSc/MSc degree with significant relevant experience, preferably in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry
• Extensive hands-on experience in designing, executing and optimizing in vitro assays utilizing primary human immune cells/patient derived tissue
• In depth understanding of gut, skin or airway inflammation and knowledge of in vitro relevant translational models
• Experience of screening small molecules and working on a drug discovery program and in-depth knowledge of data analysis including dose response relationships
• Exposure to a wide range of assay technologies such as ELISA, FRET, RT-PCR, flow cytometry and imaging with experience in target validation studies
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to communicate technical information to a non-specialist audience while working across multiple projects

Working Location & Compensation:

This is a lab-based role in our Milton Park site. Employees are expected to work on-site 100% of the time, with occasional flexibility.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £52,000 to £70,400. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package.

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