Medicinal Drug Design Lead, London

Isomorphic Labs; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading biotech firm in the UK is seeking a Medicinal Drug Design Lead to drive innovative drug discovery initiatives. The role requires a PhD and over 5 years of experience in Medicinal Chemistry, emphasizing collaboration and strategic input into drug design projects. This position offers an exciting opportunity to apply advanced technology in transforming drug discovery while mentoring junior chemists in a dynamic and supportive environment.

Benefits

Collaborative work environment

Opportunities for professional development

Hybrid work model

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in Medicinal Chemistry within biotech, pharma or CRO.
• Proven experience in drug discovery projects.
• Strong communication skills in a collaborative team environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead drug discovery projects as Chemistry Lead.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to provide scientific direction.
• Manage CRO resources and monitor KPIs.

Skills

Medicinal Chemistry

Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Drug Discovery

Project Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry or related field

Job description

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 works 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. 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 resources 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

• 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

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.

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.

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