Senior Scientist, Solid-State Chemistry & Materials

AstraZeneca; Macclesfield; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca is seeking a Senior Scientist in Analytical Science & Technology at our Macclesfield site. You will advance solid-state chemistry and molecular materials science across amorphous and disordered systems, partnering with drug product teams to design robust materials and scalable processes.

You will apply molecular-level insights, combine experimental and computational approaches, and help translate findings into robust product performance, stability, and manufacturability.

Qualifications

• PhD, or MSc with equivalent industrial experience, in pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, materials science, spectroscopy or a related discipline, with significant industry experience.
• Deep expertise in molecular-level characterisation of complex pharmaceutical materials, especially amorphous/disordered systems.
• Hands-on solid-state characterisation experience and ability to integrate data from multiple sources.
• Understanding how material attributes affect developability, stability, dissolution, performance and control.
• Ability to translate data into actionable development recommendations and product implications.
• Proven ability to lead scientific activities within multidisciplinary teams and deliver high-quality results.
• Strong communication skills to translate complex data into clear conclusions.
• Digital fluency with data, computational tools, informatics or AI-enabled approaches.

Responsibilities

• Lead solid-state science activities underpinning drug product projects and meet milestones.
• Define molecularly driven attributes across substances and excipients and assess impacts on performance.
• Design and conduct laboratory studies to probe drug–excipient interactions and material control strategies.
• Interpret how attributes influence performance (wetting, dissolution, supersaturation, etc.).
• Explore how processing conditions affect material formation and surface composition.
• Translate mechanistic understanding into practical, reproducible control strategies.
• Drive digital-first strategies and in silico approaches to accelerate decisions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners; contribute to regulatory submissions.
• Author development reports and contribute to regulatory dossiers.

Skills

Solid-state chemistry

Molecular materials science

Solid-state characterization

Data-driven approaches

Computational tools

Team leadership

Communication skills

Education

PhD or MSc in pharmaceutical sciences/chemistry/materials science

Tools

Solid-state NMR

Polymorph screening

Crystalline form selection

Python

Scripting

Chemometrics

Multivariate analysis

Job description

AstraZeneca is seeking a Senior Scientist in Analytical Science & Technology at our Macclesfield site. You will advance solid-state chemistry and molecular materials science across amorphous and disordered systems, partnering with drug product teams to design robust materials and scalable processes.

You will apply molecular-level insights, combine experimental and computational approaches, and help translate findings into robust product performance, stability, and manufacturability.