Research Scientist, Primary Pharmacology

Menlo Ventures; Oxford; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health technology company in Oxford is seeking a research scientist to design and execute experiments in drug discovery. The ideal candidate will have a scientific background and expertise in assay technologies to drive projects forward. This on-site role offers competitive compensation and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Annual bonus and equity compensation

Qualifications

• Experience in small molecule high-throughput screening, including dose-response analysis.
• Hands-on experience with cell and plate-based assays.
• Practical knowledge of a wide range of assay technologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop cell-based and biochemical assays for therapeutics.
• Collaborate with project teams to produce decision-making data.
• Engage in continual learning and development in drug discovery.

Skills

Proficiency in sterile techniques and cell culture

In vitro assay development

Ability to work in dynamic environment

Education

BSc/MSc/Ph.D. in Oncology, Biology, Pharmacology or related

Tools

FRET

flow cytometry

imaging

Job description

Your work will change lives. Including your own.

The Impact You’ll Make

Recursion is at the forefront of reimagining drug discovery and development through broadening the funnel of potential targets, using technology and standardization to build connected data. As a research scientist in the primary pharmacology department you will design, plan and execute a variety of experiments ensuring that the assays are fit-for-purpose, and that data is appropriately quality-controlled. In our new, state-of-the-art laboratories, you will utilize a wide array of assay technologies (FRET, luminescence, FACS, imaging) and automation capabilities. We are committed to deploying the latest advancements and optimising processes for quality and efficiency. You will leverage your scientific and cell-based expertise to design and implement experiments, driving our drug discovery projects forward.

In this role, you will:

• Develop cell-based and biochemical assays to help drive development of small molecule therapeutics with a focus on compound characterisation and the rapid identification of candidate molecules.
• Implement latest scientific developments and evaluate new technologies.
• Collaborate with cross functional project teams to drive drug discovery programs forward by producing decision making data in timely manner
• Engage in continual learning and development, gaining exposure to multiple scientific disciplines and the drug discovery process, from initial target identification through to candidate selection

The Team You’ll Join

You will join the Primary Pharmacology team, and will be part of the value hub at Recursion. The Primary Pharmacology team is a group of project-facing biochemists and cell biology scientists that support drug discovery projects from target validation to candidate selection. Core functions within this team include assay development, HTS, routine screening, cell culture and automation.

The Experience You’ll Need

• BSc/MSc/Ph.D. in Oncology, Biology, Pharmacology, or related discipline; or equivalent experience, preferably in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry.
• Proficiency in sterile techniques and cell culture.
• Expertise in in vitro assay development and optimisation
• Hands-on experience with cell and plate-based assays (e.g., proliferation, cell binding, target engagement, cytokine release, tumour killing)
• Practical knowledge of a wide range of assay technologies (e.g., FRET, flow cytometry, imaging)
• Experience in small molecule high-throughput screening, including dose-response relationship analysis
• Ability to work in a highly dynamic, fast-paced cross-functional environment

Working Location & Compensation:

This is an on site, lab-based position at our Bell Labs site in Milton Park, UK. At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £52,000 to £70,400 (GBP). You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package.

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The Values We Hope You Share:

• We act boldly with integrity. We are unconstrained in our thinking, take calculated risks, and push boundaries, but never at the expense of ethics, science, or trust.
• We care deeply and engage directly. Caring means holding a deep sense of responsibility and respect - showing up, speaking honestly, and taking action.
• We learn actively and adapt rapidly. Progress comes from doing. We experiment, test, and refine, embracing iteration over perfection.
• We move with urgency because patients are waiting. Speed isn’t about rushing but about moving the needle every day.
• We take ownership and accountability. Through ownership and accountability, we enable trust and autonomy—leaders take accountability for decisive action, and teams own outcomes together.
• We are One Recursion. True cross-functional collaboration is about trust, clarity, humility, and impact. Through sharing, we can be greater than the sum of our individual capabilities.

Our values underpin the employee experience at Recursion. They are the character and personality of the company demonstrated through how we communicate, support one another, spend our time, make decisions, and celebrate collectively.

More About Recursion

Recursion (NASDAQ: RXRX) is a clinical stage TechBio company leading the space by decoding biology to radically improve lives. Enabling its mission is the Recursion OS, a platform built across diverse technologies that continuously generate one of the world’s largest proprietary biological and chemical datasets. Recursion leverages sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to distill from its dataset a collection of trillions of searchable relationships across biology and chemistry unconstrained by human bias. By commanding massive experimental scale — up to millions of wet lab experiments weekly — and massive computational scale — owning and operating one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, Recursion is uniting technology, biology and chemistry to advance the future of medicine.

Recursion is headquartered in Salt Lake City, where it is a founding member of BioHive, the Utah life sciences industry collective. Recursion also has offices in Toronto, Montréal, New York, London, Oxford area, and the San Francisco Bay area. Learn more at www.Recursion.com, or connect on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.

Recursion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, local, or provincial human rights legislation.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies

Recursion Pharmaceuticals and its affiliate companies do not accept resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Recursion or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Recursion’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Recursion, and Recursion will not owe any referral or other fees. Our team will communicate directly with candidates who are not represented by an agent or intermediary unless otherwise agreed to prior to interviewing for the job.