Research Assistant – Cell Biology (Contractor)

Relationrx; Greater London; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Relation in London is seeking a Research Assistant with a background in Cell Biology to join a team running perturbation screens to identify drug targets. You will design and execute cellular and biochemical assays and help advance projects at the interface of biology and technology.

The role offers hands-on experience with primary and immortalised cell lines, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration across discovery, computation and engineering in a fast-paced TechBio environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor and/or Master’s in Biological Science required.
• Hands-on wet-lab experience in biotech/pharma or academia.
• Strong cell culture generation and maintenance skills.
• Experience running arrayed CRISPR perturbation screens.
• Ability to perform nucleic acids extraction, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, ELISA.
• Data handling, curve fitting and statistical analysis capability.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute cellular and biochemical assays to support projects.
• Grow and maintain primary and immortalised cell lines with QC.
• Manage reagent stocks, equipment upkeep, and GLP-style records.
• Analyze data and apply QA protocols during routine assays.
• Communicate outcomes to team and project stakeholders in reports.
• Identify potential project concerns and escalate to senior teams.
• Contribute to new technologies, workflows, and infrastructure.
• Collaborate with biological and computational teams to solve challenges.

Skills

Cell culture techniques

CRISPR perturbation screens

Data handling & statistics

Communication skills

Interpersonal collaboration

Experimental design

Education

Bachelor and/or Master's degree in Biological Science

Tools

Flow cytometry

RT-qPCR

ELISA

Nucleic acids extraction

High-content imaging software

Automated liquid handling

Job description

About Relation

Relation is a sector defining TechBio company developing transformational medicines, with technology at our core. Our ambition is to understand human biology in unprecedented ways, discovering therapies to treat some of life’s most devastating diseases. We leverage single-cell multi-omics from patient tissue, functional assays, and machine learning to drive disease understanding, from cause to cure.

We are scaling rapidly and building a team of exceptional individuals to push the boundaries of drug discovery. You will work in highly interdisciplinary teams where biology, computation, and engineering come together to solve complex problems that have not been solved before. Our state-of-the-art wet and dry labs in the heart of London are designed to accelerate this integration and translate insight into impact.

We are committed to building diverse and inclusive teams. Relation is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, or age.

By joining Relation, you will help define how medicines are discovered and deliver meaningful impact for patients.

The opportunity

Relation is offering an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant with a background in Cell Biology to join an established team that are running perturbation screens to help drive novel target identification for drugs to cure complex human diseases. We are looking for a scientist with hands-on experience in functional genomics, phenotypic assays, data collection, analysis and interpretation.

In this role, you will be at the forefront of scientific discovery and make a meaningful impact in the field of biology, working at the intersection of science and technology within a rapidly growing TechBio company. You will partner closely with colleagues across Discovery, have the opportunity to develop your skills to work independently and advance your knowledge-base on assay development and optimisation.

Day to day, you will

• Contribute to the design and execution of cellular and biochemical assays to support ongoing projects, including screening in established cell models and running phenotypic readouts

• Growth and maintenance of primary and immortalised mammalian cell lines, taking responsibility for sample tracking and quality control (QC).

• Assistance in management of reagent stock levels, equipment maintenance, laboratory upkeeping, and adherence to good laboratory practice.

• Carrying out data analysis and relevant quality assurance protocols during the running of routine protocols

• Communicate outcomes of your work to team members of the project and the broader company in written or verbal reports.

• Proactive identification and timely communication of potential project concerns to senior project team members

• Actively contribute to ideas of new technologies, workflows, and operational infrastructure.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional colleagues across biological and computational sciences and assist with solving complex scientific challenges and accelerate programme delivery

Professionally, you will have

• Bachelor and/or Master's degree in a Biological Science.

• Prior wet-lab experience working within academic, biotech, pharmaceutical or CRO environments

• Strong practical experience in cell culture techniques including cell line generation and maintenance.

• Experience in running arrayed genetic perturbation screens using CRISPR

• Capability to run cell and molecular biological assays to characterise cell phenotype e.g. nucleic acids extraction, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, ELISA etc.

• Competence in data handling, curve-fitting and statistical analysis

• Experience in industry-standard recording keeping

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to thrive in a collaborative, cross-functional, matrixed environment

• High motivation, scientific rigor and be able to comfortably operate in a fast-paced, evolving biotech setting

Bonus experience:

• Experience with fibroblast, endothelial and/or epithelial primary cell lines

• Prior use of ‘Walk up’ automated laboratory systems (e.g. liquid handling)

• Hands-on experience with high-content imaging instrumentation and software.

• A working knowledge of multicellular models

• Experience in contributing to a multi-party collaborative project

Personally, you

• Are comfortable working in a matrixed environment, balancing multiple stakeholders and contributing effectively across teams.

• Take ownership of your work, proactively seek opportunities to contribute, and enable others to do their best work.

• Communicate openly and directly, give and receive feedback constructively, and handle challenging conversations with respect.

• Actively seek out diverse perspectives, build strong working relationships, and contribute to shared goals across teams.

• Embrace challenges with openness and resilience, set high standards for yourself, and strive to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Working Style & Culture at Relation

At Relation, we operate in a matrixed, interdisciplinary environment, where impact is driven through collaboration across scientific, technical, and operational domains. We collaborate, and you will partner with colleagues across multiple teams and projects, contributing your expertise while aligning to shared company priorities. We work together and win together! The patient is waiting!

Recruitment Agencies

Please note that Relation does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Resumes should not be forwarded to our job aliases or employees. Relation will not be liable for any fees associated with unsolicited CVs.