Data Science Lead, Research Analytics

UCB S.A.; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global biopharmaceutical company in Slough is seeking a Data Science Lead in Research Analytics. You will drive analytics solutions supporting compound and antibody discovery, applying data science to various datasets. Ideal candidates should have a PhD with 8+ years of relevant experience, strong skills in R and Python, and a passion for improving patient outcomes. Join a collaborative team focused on innovation and growth.

Benefits

Opportunity for career growth

Supportive company culture

Collaborative environment

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience with data types and formats in biology.
• 8+ years of experience with machine learning on high dimensional datasets.
• 8+ years of experience with R and/or Python.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of analytics solutions for compound discovery.
• Communicate results from data analyses to stakeholders.
• Develop workflows for routine data processing.

Skills

Informatics

Statistics

Machine Learning

Data Manipulation

Data Wrangling

Communication

Python

R

Education

PhD in biological, chemical, or data science

Tools

R

Python

SQL

Job description

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for aData Science Lead, Research Analyticswho is creative, curious, and collaborative in ourGlobal Data Science & Analyticsteam, basedin ourBrusseloffice inBelgiumORSlough.

About the role

As a Data Science Lead in Research Analytics, you’ll drive analytics solutions that inform compound and antibody discovery for early drug platforms. You’ll apply data science and machine learning to diverse datasets—imaging, gene expression, high-throughput screens, and sequencing (e.g., mRNA display)—to identify initial hits and establish early structure-activity relationships. Your work supports the organization’s Digital Business Transformation and spans modalities including small molecules, peptides, biologics, and gene therapy. You’ll collaborate across departments and with external partners, capturing insights for meta-analysis and communicating results within interdisciplinary teams.

Who you’ll work with

Internally, you will collaborate with relevant stakeholders in function areas such as Discovery Biology, Translational Biology, Computational Chemistry, Protein Sciences and fellow data science teams & IT.Externally, you may work with academic institutions and partner with other biotech or technology companies.

What you’ll do

• Lead platform development of novel modalities such as peptides, impacting therapeutic projects with data-driven insights using analytics and machine learning on high-dimensional datasets conducted with complex biological assays (e.g. next-generation sequencing, cell-based assays, time-series assays, high-content assays, *-omics assays, etc.).
• Clear communication of outputs & results from analyses for all relevant stakeholders.
• Adapt and design data processes to support the capture and analysis of assay data and metadata and elevate platform data capability.
• Develop workflows that can be used by team members for routine data processing and analysis.
• Active collaboration with relevant stakeholders in function areas such as Discovery Biology, Translational Biology, Computational Chemistry, Protein Sciences and fellow data science teams & IT.

Interested? For this role we’re looking for the followingeducation, experienceandskills

• PhD in biological, chemical, or data science with strong skills & experience in informatics, statistics, or computer science and demonstrated delivery in the life sciences space

• 8+ years of hands-on experiencewith data types, file formats, and common metadata used in biology, including high-dimensional experiments such as imaging, or high-throughput experiments such as peptide/biologics display.
• 8+ ofexperience with machine learning on large / high dimensional datasets including data manipulation, wrangling, and analytics.
• 8+ Experience with machine learning on chemical, sequence, and/or biological features.

• 8+ years of experience with R and/or Python

Preferred

• Prior experience in pharmaceutical industry
• Experience with programmatic querying of relational or graph databases is desirable (SQL, neo4j, etc.)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills demonstrated by publications and conference presentations

Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!

About us
UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are around 8,500 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work with us?
At UCB, we don’t just complete tasks, we create value. We aren’t afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We ‘go beyond’ to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that’s on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on [e-mail]. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.