Job Title: Senior AI Scientist–Hit Discoveryand Protein Sciences
Location: Cambridge, UK
Competitive salary and benefits
Introduction to the role:
Are you acuriousDataand AIScientist seeking a role where yourexpertisecan make an extraordinary impact? This is an opportunity to join a dynamic and enthusiastic environment and transform the way we discoverhitsand protein reagentsin drug discovery.
Diverse Minds. Bold Disruptors. Meaningful Impactthrough Partnership.
At AstraZenecawe’rededicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial ’sno better place to make a difference to medicine,patientsand society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration. Always committed to lifelong learning,growthand development.
Join a place built on innovation and creativity. We harness digital, data science & AI to fast-forward our research. Your scientific vision would ensure that new small moleculesand peptidesdiscovered usingyour skillsandinpartnership with our technical platformscan serve as the seeds for future medicines and make a real difference in our mission to help patients.
You will be basedin early drug discovery R&DwithintheData Sciences & Quantitative Biologydepartmentin Discovery Sciencesand will work closely with our colleagues in the Hit Discoveryand Protein learn more about our department and culture watch this video: .
What you will do
You willdevelopdata science, computational and AIsolutions to enablethe discovery ofhits(small molecules andpeptides)and protein reagentsenhancingthe output from ourhit andleaddatagenerationplatforms. This will involve close collaboration withscreeningscientists,chemists,biologists,informaticians and statisticians. Wetruly believethat everyone hasan important rolein drug discoveryandeach individualbringsaunique set of competencies. Your curiosity and passion for personal development combined with support from colleagues and leaders, will ensure you maximise your potential and contribution, building from your current skills and experience.
Essential requirements:
Our team is a highly collaborative group of scientists, working in an evolving technical and scientific landscape. Therefore, you will be comfortable workingin a dynamic and team-focussedenvironment. Critical will be tohave effective communication skills and a proactive and delivery-focused approach. Aligned to Hit Discoveryand Protein Sciencesactivities, you will bring analytical skills,innovationand your strategic mindsetto this excitingand evolvingarea.
You also have:
1. A PhD or equivalent numbers of years in industry/academia in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, computer science,AI/ML,statisticsor related computationaland data sciencesubject areas applied tochemistry,biologyor medicine.
2. Experience in data science, AI/MLand/or modelling methods applied to the analysis of highly multidimensional or unstructured datasets inmolecular, drug discovery orbiomedicalcontexts.
3. Programming in Python, Rand/or Shell, and experience with querying and integrating data from disparate sources ( SQL, NoSQL,Graphor file-based approaches).
4. Experience in developingcomputational workflowsapplied to the analysis of experimentalorAI-generateddata(, knowledge of version control systems ( Git and GitHub) and high-performance computing infrastructure.
5. Experiencereporting data analysis results, drawingconclusionsand defining recommended actions in interdisciplinaryand collaborativeenvironments.
Desirables:
6. ExperienceinAI/MLand/or physics-based mathematical modelling methodsapplied topeptides,small molecules, and/orproteins
7. Experience indata analysis of high-throughput assays (peptides /small moleculescreens,virtual orhigh content screening, chemical profiling,mass spectrometry,recombinant proteinexpressionand/oromics).
8. Experience in developing software and packages.
9. Track recordof publishing relevant researchaspreprints,peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and other scientific proceedings.
10. Ability to collaborate and build consensus across cross-functional teams.
11. Ability toidentifyopportunities and synergies across projects.
12. Experience incommunicatingchemistry and proteinconceptswithinadata sciencecontext.
Why AstraZeneca
There are many opportunities to develop yourself and your career. From our diverse portfolio and collaboration to our ground-breaking innovations –it’sa place for lifelong learning.
You'll be based in ourDiscovery Centre placed in the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus - an open,welcomingand vibrant centre that will encourage us and our partners to push the boundaries of scientific innovation.
Next Steps:
Are you already imagining yourself joining our team? Good, because we can’t wait to hear from you. Please apply via the link and one of our team members will be in touch as soon as possible. This is being actively recruited so early application is advised.
Where can you find more?
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Date Posted
19-Feb-2026
Closing Date
18-Feb-2026Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.