At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer
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We are seeking an experienced Principal Scientist to join our Portfolio generation team at Cancer Research Horizons in Cambridge. As a Principal Scientist, you will identify and assess new therapeutic opportunities from academic sources and help evaluate advanced oncology assets suitable for acceleration through TI’s capabilities. You will design and lead focused workplans to de‑risk promising concepts and guide them to clear entry decisions for the TI portfolio, working closely with drug discovery teams and key stakeholders.
You will review Expressions of Interest for Therapeutic Catalyst schemes, recommend proposals for progression, and support academic PIs in developing costed proposals and high‑quality workplans. You will coordinate multiple Catalyst projects post‑approval, facilitating interactions with academic partners and determining potential routes for TI involvement.
You will also contribute to assessment processes for wider CRUK/CRH initiatives such as C‑Further, ensuring rigorous scientific evaluation. Your attendance at relevant cancer conferences will support ongoing knowledge building, networking, and identification of new therapeutic opportunities. Every role at CRH is united by a single mission: beating cancer sooner. We carry out work that matters—impacting patients, families, and the future of science.
About Cancer Research Horizons
As the world’s biggest medical research charity, we’ve helped bring eleven new cancer drugs to market. However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster.
We have recently developed a new approach to driving therapeutic innovation through the creation of Cancer Research Horizons (CRH). We have brought together Cancer Research UK’s established drug discovery teams under one organisation and leadership team, combining our unique pipeline of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK’s world-class academic network, cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise to 1) Bring new treatments to patients faster and 2) Tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success.
Based at sites in Cambridge, the CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, and Newcastle University, you’ll be joining over 200 staff from both industrial and academic backgrounds, all dedicated to bringing forward the day we cure cancer.
What will you be doing?
1. Development of multiple new opportunities/ from concept review, through to evaluation and de-risk to a decision point on drug discovery portfolio entry (in collaboration with key drug discovery stakeholders).
2. Lead on the development and delivery of workplans to agreed inflection points.
3. Act as a primary point of contact between academic collaborators and CRH-TI within Portfolio Generation space as required.
4. Assist the triage of Therapeutic Catalyst expressions of interest and the development of full proposals.
5. Lead multiple Therapeutic catalyst projects to required/approved endpoints including option to accelerate via additional TI support.
6. Matrix manage drug discovery activities and interactions with PIs in conjunction with key drug discovery stakeholders (Target Validation and Project Enabling leads).
7. Make strategic recommendations to relevant review groups/leadership teams.
What are we looking for?
8. PhD or equivalent experience in relevant cancer field.
9. Significant experience of early drug target discovery and the evaluation process (target selection, validation, technical feasibility etc), preferentially developed in a drug discovery environment.
10. Previous experience of working with PI’s and helping to deliver early translation projects in cancer discovery
11. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to network and build strong working relationships.
12. Strong scientific and strategic understanding of what it takes to drive exciting opportunities towards future drug discovery starts (biology and early drug discovery).
13. An appreciation of the use of preclinical cancer models to support therapeutic discovery.
14. Proven ability to contribute at a technical level to multiple programmes simultaneously.
15. Evidence of strategic thinking and an ability to develop project plans.
16. Collaborative team player, but also a highly self-motivated individual able to prioritise and manage time effectively with the highest levels of quality, productivity, and urgency in delivery.
17. Maintenance of the highest standards of records, data and documentation.
18. Ability to conceive and manage workplans across teams aimed at de-risking a therapeutic opportunity area progressing to drug discovery start decision points.
19. Ability to embed across multiple scientific areas and act as a credible lead: Flexible, unafraid of failure, able to focus on the key experiments, comfortable with ambiguity and making judgement calls.
Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.
Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination
Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism
Human: Act to have a positive impact on people
Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively
We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.
If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience, we’d still love to hear from you.
What will I gain?
We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.
You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.
How do I apply?
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.