Chemist Jobs in London.
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Your work will change lives. Including your own.
The Impact You’ll Make
At Recursion, we are reimagining drug discovery through a powerful synthesis of AI, automation, and deep scientific expertise. In this role, you will be the bridge between complex chemical data and the strategic systems that power our discovery programs. Your primary focus will be building the tools and infrastructure that support our computational designers and medicinal chemists in making data-driven decisions for the next steps in discovery programs. You will expose analytics that help us further automate the platform by closing the Design-Make-Test-Learn (DMTL) loop to accelerate the design process.
You will have high-level ownership of our analytical ecosystem—including the Spotfire library, data schemas, and automation services—transforming complex datasets into directed platform improvements. You will be at the center of our DMTL loop, creating the tools that empower our scientists to design novel, high-quality drug candidates with unparalleled speed and precision. Your work will directly accelerate our portfolio, drive our partnerships, and contribute to our mission of decoding biology to radically improve lives.
In this role, you will:
- Build and maintain integrated project dashboards that serve as a core resource for design teams by syncing assay results with cross-functional portfolio data.
- Code and manage robust repositories for Spotfire automation and BigQuery integration to streamline the flow of data across the discovery lifecycle.
- Design and evolve metrics and predictive modeling workflows that inform "next-best" design recommendations and track project progress through the discovery lifecycle.
- Create automated reporting pipelines to proactively surface critical signals, ensuring project teams can take timely action on new scientific data.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to translate strategic objectives into scalable analytical tools, using adoption metrics to prioritize features that deliver the greatest impact.
- Define and analyze metrics for product success, tool adoption, and scientific impact to ensure teams are focused on critical priorities for accelerating drug discovery.
- Identify and innovate on gaps in analytics maturity, taking responsibility for implementing solutions that modernize how our scientists interact with data.
- Contribute to the development of Agentic AI systems that leverage our data infrastructure to automate and enhance the understanding of Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR).
The Team You’ll Join
You will be a core member of the Design Workflow team, an interdisciplinary group responsible for the end-to-end development and operation of our molecular design platform. We are the orchestration engine for the Hit-to-Lead (H2L) and Lead Optimization (LO) phases of drug discovery. Our team embodies a “Build & Operate” philosophy, intentionally integrating the development of the Recursion OS with its direct application in advancing our portfolio.
The Experience You’ll Need
- Expert-level proficiency in TIBCO Spotfire development, including experience managing automation services and measuring tool adoption through action logs.
- Advanced engineering foundation in Python, BigQuery, and Prefect, with a track record of maintaining production-level repositories via Git.
- Experience in a major cloud provider (Google Cloud Platform preferred) to support scalable data infrastructure.
- Scientific domain knowledge of the drug discovery lifecycle and the specific data products required to support end-to-end chemist workflows.
- Proven ability to synthesize data from multiple domains—such as lab informatics, chemistry, and portfolio management—into clear, execution-ready recommendations.
- Exceptional systems-thinking and communication skills, with the ability to deconstruct complex scientific workflows and identify key leverage points.
- Practical experience with AI/ML frameworks applied to drug discovery and the development of agentic systems to automate complex scientific reasoning and SAR analysis.
- Degree in a relevant field (Chemistry, Cheminformatics, Engineering, or Computer Science) with significant professional experience in a biotech or pharmaceutical R&D setting.
Working Location & Compensation:
This is an office-based, hybrid role in our London office. Employees are expected to work in the office at least 50% of the time.
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.
#LI-EP1
The Values We Hope You Share:
- We act boldly with integrity. We are unconstrained in our thinking, take calculated risks, and push boundaries, but never at the expense of ethics, science, or trust.
- We care deeply and engage directly. Caring means holding a deep sense of responsibility and respect - showing up, speaking honestly, and taking action.
- We learn actively and adapt rapidly. Progress comes from doing. We experiment, test, and refine, embracing iteration over perfection.
- We move with urgency because patients are waiting. Speed isn’t about rushing but about moving the needle every day.
- We take ownership and accountability. Through ownership and accountability, we enable trust and autonomy—leaders take accountability for decisive action, and teams own outcomes together.
- We are One Recursion. True cross-functional collaboration is about trust, clarity, humility, and impact. Through sharing, we can be greater than the sum of our individual capabilities.
Our values underpin the employee experience at Recursion. They are the character and personality of the company demonstrated through how we communicate, support one another, spend our time, make decisions, and celebrate collectively.
More About Recursion
Recursion (NASDAQ: RXRX) is a clinical-stage TechBio company decoding biology to radically improve lives. Recursion is advancing a portfolio of differentiated investigational medicines across its wholly owned and partnered pipeline in oncology, rare disease, neuroscience, immunology, and other therapeutic areas with significant unmet need. Enabling its mission is the Recursion OS, an AI-native, end-to-end drug discovery and development platform integrating biology, chemistry, and clinical development into a unified intelligence system. Powered by proprietary multimodal data, purpose-built AI models, and bilingual teams fluent in both science and AI, the Recursion OS is designed to translate complex science into medicines that matter — faster, better, and at scale — for patients who are waiting.
Recursion’s platform infrastructure is anchored in Salt Lake City, Utah and Milton Park, Oxfordshire, where its automated biology and chemistry laboratories generate proprietary data at industrial scale. Recursion also maintains offices in New York, Montréal, and London, three global hubs for talent and leadership at the intersection of AI and scientific innovation. Learn more at www.recursion.com, or connect on X and LinkedIn.
Recursion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, local, or provincial human rights legislation.
Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Recursion Pharmaceuticals and its affiliate companies do not accept resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Recursion or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Recursion’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Recursion, and Recursion will not owe any referral or other fees. Our team will communicate directly with candidates who are not represented by an agent or intermediary unless otherwise agreed to prior to interviewing for the job.
Ready to apply?
Apply to Recursion
Medicinal Drug Design Lead, London
Share this job
Isomorphic Labs is applying frontier AI to help unlock deeper scientific insights, faster breakthroughs, and life-changing medicines with an ambition to solve all disease.
The future is coming. A future enabled and enriched by the incredible power of machine learning. A future in which diseases are curtailed or cured starting with better and faster drug discovery.
Come and be part of an interdisciplinary team driving groundbreaking innovation and play a meaningful role in contributing towards us achieving our ambitious goals, while being a part of an inspiring and collaborative culture.
The world we want tomorrow is the one we’re building today. It starts with the culture at this company. It starts with you.
About Iso
Isomorphic Labs (IsoLabs) was launched in 2021 to advance human health by building on and beyond the Nobel-winning AlphaFold system. Since then, our interdisciplinary team of drug discovery experts and machine learning specialists has built powerful new predictive and generative AI models that accelerate scientific discovery at digital speed.
Our name comes from the belief that there is an underlying symmetry between biology and information science. By harnessing AI’s powerful capabilities, we can use it to model complex biological phenomena to help design novel molecules, anticipate how drugs will perform and develop innovative medicines to treat and cure some of the world’s most devastating diseases.
We have built a world-leading drug design engine comprising AI models that are capable of working across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities. We are continually innovating on model architecture and developing cutting-edge capabilities to advance rational drug design.
Every day, and with each new breakthrough, we’re getting closer to the promise of digital biology, and achieving our ambitious mission to one day solve all disease with the help of AI.
About the Medicinal Drug Design Team
We are a dynamic team of Medicinal Chemists transforming how drugs are designed. By partnering deeply with our AI/ML colleagues, we are doing more than just leveraging the Isomorphic Labs drug design engine - we are actively shaping it. We use our domain expertise to challenge and refine our algorithms, creating a powerful symbiotic relationship that drives our internal and collaborative portfolios. Our team work closely together in a supportive environment, where everyone is valued for their medicinal chemistry expertise and experience they bring to the group. We have a strong growth mindset and prioritise continued development and learning.
Your impact
As part of the ongoing expansion of our Drug Design and Medical Research function, we are hiring Medicinal Drug Design Leads. You will work as a Chemistry Lead, delivering scientific expertise and strategic direction to fulfil milestone objectives on our portfolio projects. You will support the business alongside world leading AI/ML Drug Design Platform teams, and will work collaboratively to drive improvements in the platform and apply these to impactful drug design projects. Please note that this is a scientific leadership role, where you will take an active hands-on role as an individual contributor rather than being a people manager, although you will support and mentor junior colleagues.
If you are a skilled Medicinal Chemist with a passion for applying cutting-edge technology to complex scientific challenges, this role offers an unparalleled opportunity for impact and growth.
What you will do
- Invent new medicines. Rapidly drive drug discovery programs to value inflection points by deploying your knowledge of modern discovery principles and synthetic organic chemistry, taking ownership as a Medicinal Chemistry Lead.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to support the data-driven delivery of high quality scientific solutions to complex technical problems.
- Represent the company externally, interacting with existing and prospective collaborators and Contract Research Organisations (CROs).
- Provide strategic input and technical direction to our AI/ML platform teams.
- Effectively manage CRO resource and monitor KPIs to maintain delivery.
- Prepare detailed scientific proposals and reports to support new and ongoing programs.
- Embrace and champion our culture of inclusion and continuous professional development.
Skills and qualifications
Essential:
- PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, or a related technical field, or equivalent industrial experience.
- 5+ years’ professional experience in a Medicinal Chemistry role, operating within a biotech, pharma or CRO setting.
- Proven track record of leading medicinal chemistry efforts on drug discovery projects, demonstrating significant contributions to project progression (ideally from hit identification through to lead optimisation/candidate nomination), with familiarity of optimisation of DMPK.
- Experience of contributing to structure-based drug design problems.
- Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities applied to complex drug discovery challenges.
- Experience of working with and closely managing CRO resources.
- Strong track record of scientific achievements, evidenced by publications, patents, and presentations.
- A genuine passion for drug discovery and enthusiasm for the potential of AI/ML to transform the field.
- Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, with an ability to work effectively in a cross-functional, collaborative team environment.
- Track record of creative problem solving with a strong growth mindset, adaptability, and eagerness to learn new concepts and techniques.
Nice to have:
- Experience of successful application of fragment-based drug design approaches.
Culture and values
We are guided by our shared values. It's not about finding people who think and act in the same way. These values help to guide our work and will continue to strengthen it.
Thoughtful
Thoughtful at Iso is about curiosity, creativity and care. It is about good people doing good, rigorous and future-making science every single day.
Brave
Brave at Iso is about fearlessness, but it’s also about initiative and integrity. The scale of the challenge demands nothing less.
Determined
Determined at Iso is the way we pursue our goal. It’s a confidence in our hypothesis, as well as the urgency and agility needed to deliver on it. Because disease won’t wait, so neither should we.
Together
Together at Iso is about connection, collaboration across fields and catalytic relationships. It’s knowing that transformation is a group project, and remembering that what we’re doing will have a real impact on real people everywhere.
Creating an extraordinary company
We believe that to be successful we need a team with a range of skills and talents. We're building an environment where collaboration is fundamental, learning is shared and every employee feels supported and able to thrive. We value unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, and perspectives, and harness these qualities to create extraordinary impact.
We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis protected by applicable law. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Hybrid working
It’s hugely important for us to share knowledge and build strong relationships with each other, and we find it easier to do this if we spend time together in person. This is why we follow a hybrid model, and would require you to be able to come into the office 3 days a week (currently Tuesday, Wednesday, and one other day depending on which team you’re in). If you have additional needs that would prevent you from following this hybrid approach, we’d be happy to talk through these if you’re selected for an initial screening call.
Please note that when you submit an application, your data will be processed in line with our privacy policy.
Ready to apply?
Apply to Isomorphic Labs
Team Leader, Medicinal Drug Design, London
Share this job
Isomorphic Labs is applying frontier AI to help unlock deeper scientific insights, faster breakthroughs, and life-changing medicines with an ambition to solve all disease.
The future is coming. A future enabled and enriched by the incredible power of machine learning. A future in which diseases are curtailed or cured starting with better and faster drug discovery.
Come and be part of an interdisciplinary team driving groundbreaking innovation and play a meaningful role in contributing towards us achieving our ambitious goals, while being a part of an inspiring and collaborative culture.
The world we want tomorrow is the one we’re building today. It starts with the culture at this company. It starts with you.
About Iso
Isomorphic Labs (IsoLabs) was launched in 2021 to advance human health by building on and beyond the Nobel-winning AlphaFold system. Since then, our interdisciplinary team of drug discovery experts and machine learning specialists has built powerful new predictive and generative AI models that accelerate scientific discovery at digital speed.
Our name comes from the belief that there is an underlying symmetry between biology and information science. By harnessing AI’s powerful capabilities, we can use it to model complex biological phenomena to help design novel molecules, anticipate how drugs will perform and develop innovative medicines to treat and cure some of the world’s most devastating diseases.
We have built a world-leading drug design engine comprising AI models that are capable of working across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities. We are continually innovating on model architecture and developing cutting-edge capabilities to advance rational drug design.
Every day, and with each new breakthrough, we’re getting closer to the promise of digital biology, and achieving our ambitious mission to one day solve all disease with the help of AI.
About the Medicinal Drug Design team
We are a dynamic team of Medicinal Chemists transforming how drugs are designed. By partnering deeply with our AI/ML colleagues, we are doing more than just leveraging the Isomorphic Labs drug design engine - we are actively shaping it. We use our domain expertise to challenge and refine our algorithms, creating a powerful symbiotic relationship that drives our internal and collaborative portfolios. Our team closely together in a supportive environment, where everyone is valued for their medicinal chemistry expertise and experience they bring to the group. We have a strong growth mindset and prioritise continued development and learning.
We are looking for a Team Leader, Medicinal Drug Design to champion this cross-disciplinary approach, fostering a supportive team culture where continuous learning and the adoption of next-generation tools are the standard, not the exception. This is a pivotal role for an experienced and motivated scientific leader eager to shape the future of drug discovery at the intersection of medicinal chemistry and artificial intelligence.
Your impact
You will be responsible for line managing and mentoring a small team of talented and high-performing Medicinal Chemists, fostering their scientific growth and career development. Additionally, you will provide scientific leadership and strategic direction for key drug discovery projects, guiding them from initiation towards clinical candidate selection. Working alongside world-leading AI/ML scientists, you will play a critical role in driving project success, enhancing our AI platform through your technical expertise.
If you are a skilled Medicinal Chemist with leadership experience and a passion for applying cutting-edge technology to complex scientific challenges, this role offers an unparalleled opportunity for impact and growth.
What you will do
- Provide line management for a team of 2-4 Medicinal Chemists. Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, support their professional development, and foster a collaborative and high-performance team environment.
- Invent new medicines. Rapidly drive drug discovery programs to value inflection points by deploying your knowledge of modern discovery principles and synthetic organic chemistry, taking ownership as either a Medicinal Chemistry Lead or overall Project Lead.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to support the data-driven delivery of high quality scientific solutions to complex technical problems.
- Represent the company externally, interacting with existing and prospective collaborators and Contract Research Organisations (CROs).
- Provide strategic input and technical direction to our AI/ML platform teams.
- Effectively manage CRO resource and monitor KPIs to maintain delivery.
- Generate intellectual property positions and capture the value derived from IsoLabs’ investment.
- Prepare detailed scientific proposals and reports to support new and ongoing programs.
- Embrace and champion our culture of inclusion and continuous professional development.
Skills and qualifications
Essential:
- PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, or a related technical field, or equivalent industrial experience.
- 8+ years’ professional experience in a Medicinal Chemistry role, operating within a biotech, pharma or CRO setting.
- Proven track record of leading medicinal chemistry efforts on drug discovery projects, demonstrating significant contributions to project progression (ideally from hit identification through to lead optimisation/candidate nomination), with familiarity of optimisation of DMPK.
- Experience of contributing to structure-based drug design problems.
- Experience of leading a high-performing scientific team, mentoring and empowering them to thrive in their roles.
- Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities applied to complex drug discovery challenges.
- Experience of working with and closely managing CRO resources.
- Strong track record of scientific achievements, evidenced by publications, patents, and presentations.
- A genuine passion for drug discovery and enthusiasm for the potential of AI/ML to transform the field.
- Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, with an ability to work effectively in a cross-functional, collaborative team environment.
- Track record of creative problem solving with a strong growth mindset, adaptability, and eagerness to learn new concepts and techniques.
Nice to have:
- Experience of successful application of fragment-based drug design approaches.
Culture and values
We are guided by our shared values. It's not about finding people who think and act in the same way. These values help to guide our work and will continue to strengthen it.
Thoughtful
Thoughtful at Iso is about curiosity, creativity and care. It is about good people doing good, rigorous and future-making science every single day.
Brave
Brave at Iso is about fearlessness, but it’s also about initiative and integrity. The scale of the challenge demands nothing less.
Determined
Determined at Iso is the way we pursue our goal. It’s a confidence in our hypothesis, as well as the urgency and agility needed to deliver on it. Because disease won’t wait, so neither should we.
Together
Together at Iso is about connection, collaboration across fields and catalytic relationships. It’s knowing that transformation is a group project, and remembering that what we’re doing will have a real impact on real people everywhere.
Creating an extraordinary company
We believe that to be successful we need a team with a range of skills and talents. We're building an environment where collaboration is fundamental, learning is shared and every employee feels supported and able to thrive. We value unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, and perspectives, and harness these qualities to create extraordinary impact.
We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis protected by applicable law. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Hybrid working
It’s hugely important for us to share knowledge and build strong relationships with each other, and we find it easier to do this if we spend time together in person. This is why we follow a hybrid model, and would require you to be able to come into the office 3 days a week (currently Tuesday, Wednesday, and one other day depending on which team you’re in). If you have additional needs that would prevent you from following this hybrid approach, we’d be happy to talk through these if you’re selected for an initial screening call.
Please note that when you submit an application, your data will be processed in line with our privacy policy.
Ready to apply?
Apply to Isomorphic Labs