Senior Scientist (Synthetic Chemistry)

1w1 week ago

AstraZeneca

London, GB · Full-time · £55,000 – £75,000

About this role

Are you ready to advance cancer research and grow your expertise in a leading biopharmaceutical company? At AstraZeneca, your ideas and skills matter—we believe every team member brings fresh perspectives that help us create life-changing medicines. As a Senior Scientist (Synthetic Chemistry) joining our Oncology Targeted Discovery team for a 6–11 month maternity cover at our Whitechapel site, you’ll work alongside collaborative colleagues.

In this hands-on, laboratory-based role, you will directly contribute to Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) chemistry projects. Your work will advance innovative payload and linker-payload architectures critical to developing new cancer therapies. You’ll apply expertise to tackle challenging molecules in oncology research.

You’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary colleagues across chemistry and biology, sharing data and insights. The team values teamwork, curiosity, and unique contributions in a supportive and innovative environment. Enjoy working with welcoming colleagues who foster dynamic laboratory settings.

At AstraZeneca, join people united by a desire to improve lives and advance scientific ideas for patients around the world. Find a supportive culture with respect, teamwork, and opportunities to learn and grow. Your work matters and your individuality is respected.

Requirements

PhD in synthetic organic chemistry or equivalent hands-on experience, ideally with postdoctoral or industry background in complex molecule synthesis
Strong track record in developing synthetic routes, troubleshooting challenging chemistry, and characterizing compounds at every stage
Hands-on bench chemistry experience, thriving in dynamic laboratory settings
Experienced in scaling up and purifying potent molecules
Clear scientific communication and active collaboration with diverse project teams
Proficiency in NMR and LC-MS for analytical characterization

Responsibilities

Plan and perform multi-step synthetic routes to deliver complex payloads and linker-payload constructs with high purity and reproducibility
Apply advanced organic synthesis, purification, and analytical characterization (including NMR, LC-MS) to challenging and structurally diverse molecules
Work closely with scientists across chemistry and biology, sharing data and insights to support ADC design and optimization
Maintain detailed experimental records, adhere to HSE standards, and contribute to technical reports summarizing synthetic approaches and findings
Troubleshoot challenging chemistry in developing synthetic routes for complex payloads
Scale up reactions and purify potent molecules in a dynamic laboratory setting