Senior Research Scientist, Primary Pharmacology (18-month FTC)
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 as maternity cover, 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
- 4+ years of experience 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. Employees are expected to work in the office 80% of the time.
**Please note: This is an 18 month, fixed term contract role**
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 decoding biology to radically improve lives. Recursion is advancing a portfolio of differentiated investigational medicines across its wholly owned and partnered pipeline in oncology, rare disease, neuroscience, immunology, and other therapeutic areas with significant unmet need. Enabling its mission is the Recursion OS, an AI-native, end-to-end drug discovery and development platform integrating biology, chemistry, and clinical development into a unified intelligence system. Powered by proprietary multimodal data, purpose-built AI models, and bilingual teams fluent in both science and AI, the Recursion OS is designed to translate complex science into medicines that matter — faster, better, and at scale — for patients who are waiting.
Recursion’s platform infrastructure is anchored in Salt Lake City, Utah and Milton Park, Oxfordshire, where its automated biology and chemistry laboratories generate proprietary data at industrial scale. Recursion also maintains offices in New York, Montréal, and London, three global hubs for talent and leadership at the intersection of AI and scientific innovation. Learn more at www.recursion.com, or connect on X 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.