Senior AI Scientist, Drug Discovery & Target Identification

AstraZeneca plc; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca plc is seeking an experienced AI for Discovery specialist to build and deploy agentic AI and predictive modeling tools to accelerate new target discovery across Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals R&D. You will work at the Cambridge site within a cross-functional team, applying AI to real biological problems.

You will develop production-level code and collaborate with scientists and engineers to translate insights into actionable targets and publications.

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc in computational biology, AI/ML, or related quantitative discipline.
• Experience with agentic AI, multi-agent systems, or LLM-based reasoning in scientific problems.
• Experience with AI/ML modeling for biology, including foundation models or graph networks.
• Understanding of drug discovery biology: target identification, validation, mechanisms.
• Strong Python programming for production-quality workflows and pipelines.
• Experience communicating complex findings to varied audiences.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with therapeutic area scientists to apply agentic AI to target discovery.
• Build multi-agent AI systems integrated into therapeutic area workflows.
• Develop benchmarks for predictive biology models and virtual cell approaches.
• Write production-grade code, pipelines, and data tools for the team and organization.
• Communicate technical results to expert and non-expert audiences.
• Contribute to AstraZeneca’s external visibility through publications and collaborations.

Skills

Python

Agentic AI experience

Biology knowledge

Deep learning

Communication

Curiosity

Education

PhD in computational biology or related field

Bachelor/Master with equivalent research

Tools

PyTorch

JAX

Job description

AstraZeneca plc is seeking an experienced AI for Discovery specialist to build and deploy agentic AI and predictive modeling tools to accelerate new target discovery across Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals R&D. You will work at the Cambridge site within a cross-functional team, applying AI to real biological problems.

You will develop production-level code and collaborate with scientists and engineers to translate insights into actionable targets and publications.