Senior Scientist - Cell Therapy Safety

AstraZeneca; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre in Cambridge invites a Senior Scientist to advance safety assessment for cellular therapeutics, including autologous, allogeneic and CAR-T approaches. You will design assays and apply immunology/cell biology methods to support pre-clinical safety.

You will collaborate across CPSS and external academics, publish findings, and contribute to non-clinical toxicology packages while shaping safety strategies for emerging modalities.

Qualifications

• PhD in immunology, cellular biology or a related discipline.
• Strong track record in immunology and/or molecular biology with cell therapy development; experience in flow cytometry and toxicology assessment; post-doctoral experience preferred.
• Experience designing and/or executing in vitro and/or in vivo studies to determine safety/efficacy of cellular therapeutics.
• Experience as a safety scientist in cell therapy development from conception to candidate.
• Demonstrated ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams with strong communication skills (presenting, manuscript preparation, influencing).
• Excellent publication record commensurate with career stage.
• Ability to operate in compliance with GLP, Safety, HE and external regulations.

Responsibilities

• Model development: create and validate in vitro models to predict toxicity, immunogenicity and tumorigenicity.
• Scientific problem-solving and driving innovation to advance capabilities.
• External engagement: collaborate with academia, publish in journals and contribute to scientific networks.
• Cross-functional collaboration across CPSS and partner functions to translate biology into safety strategies.

Skills

Immunology

Molecular biology

Cell therapy development

Flow cytometry

Toxicology assessment

Scientific communication

Education

PhD or equivalent

Tools

In vitro models

Job description

Job Title: Senior Scientist (CLD) – Cell Therapy Safety

Location: Cambridge, UK

Do you have a background in cell therapy safety assessment and want to shape the safety strategy for innovative cellular therapeutics? Are you excited to expand your expertise in the non-clinical safety assessment of next-generation cellular modalities? If yes, AstraZeneca could have the role for you.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join our laboratory-based Cell Therapy Safety Team within Cell Therapy Translational and Safety Sciences. This role is based at our state-of-the‑art Discovery Centre in Cambridge, UK, offering a collaborative environment across disciplines to drive innovation in 21st-century pharmaceutical research.

At AstraZeneca, we value diverse perspectives and inclusive collaboration. We believe teams are most creative when individuals contribute different ideas and experiences in an environment where those differences are welcomed and respected. This is how we foster continuous innovation, learning, and growth—for our people and for patients.

What You’ll Do

You will primarily support our growing cellular medicine portfolio; including autologous, allogeneic and in vivo CAR‑T. You will design and execute assays and apply molecular biology and immunology/cell biology approaches to develop methods for assessing pre‑clinical safety.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Model development: Develop and validate new in vitro models to predict and assess toxicity, immunogenicity, and tumorigenicity for cellular therapeutics; contribute to broader non-clinical toxicology packages for novel modalities.
• Scientific problem-solving: Identify and solve complex scientific problems; champion scientific and technological innovations that advance strategic capabilities.
• External engagement: Collaborate with leading academics; publish in high-quality journals; actively contribute to scientific networks and communities.
• Innovation: Drive innovation to support internal and external presentations and publications to strengthen AstraZeneca’s scientific leadership.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with scientists across CPSS and partnered functions to translate biological insights into safety strategies for pioneering therapeutics.

Essential Qualifications And Experience

• PhD or equivalent in immunology, cellular biology, or a related discipline.
• Strong scientific track record in immunology and/or molecular biology and cell therapy development, with practical experience in molecular biology, flow cytometry, cell therapy discovery, and ideally toxicology assessment; post-doctoral experience preferred.
• Experience designing and/or executing in vitro and/or in vivo studies to determine safety and/or efficacy of cellular therapeutics.
• Preferably, experience as a safety scientist in cell therapy development from project conception through to candidate selection.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams with strong communication skills (presenting, manuscript preparation, influencing, relationship building).
• Excellent publication record, commensurate with career stage.
• Ability to operate in compliance with Good Laboratory Science standards, Safety, Health & Environment requirements, and relevant external regulations.

Who You Are

You are a motivated, creative, and innovative scientist with a collaborative, team-oriented mindset. You enjoy solving complex problems with a goal-focused approach and have strong communication and presentation skills. You thrive in an open, positive, and collaborative working environment.

Why AstraZeneca

At AstraZeneca, curiosity and courage drive our science. We’re inspired by the possibility of doing what has not been done before. Empowered to step up, we challenge fear of failure, explore the biology of complex diseases, and make bold decisions—celebrating successes and learning from setbacks along the way. We have the ambition to be a world leader in cell therapy development to meet the unmet curative needs in oncology and autoimmune diseases.

Date Posted

07-Sep-2026

Closing Date

19-Sep-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best.