Research Scientist - SPR & Biophysical Assays

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for a Research Scientist who is curious and enthusiastic to join us in our SPR & Biophysical Assay team, based at our research site in Slough, UK.

About the role

This exciting opportunity suits candidates at an early stage of their scientific career, keen to learn new skills and methods whilst gaining experience of the biopharmaceutical industry in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. They will contribute to the discovery of new drugs to help patients with severe disease. The candidate will acquire expertise in SPR along with other biophysical techniques (BLI (Octet), MST, ITC, Dianthus and thermal-shift assays).

The successful candidate would be joining a team of SPR experts, applying cutting-edge Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology (Biacore T200/S200, 8K+, Carterra LSA) to understand drug-target interactions, providing a critical function within In Vitro Pharmacology to ensure the success of our drug discovery projects.

Who you’ll work with

You’ll collaborate with cross-functional project teams and take responsibility for supporting UCB’s small molecule and antibody drug discovery projects by producing high-quality data to characterise the kinetics and binding properties of therapeutic molecules. These data provide insights to guide molecule selection from initial hit ID, through optimisation and final candidate selection. Hence, you be involved from ‘beginning to end’ of project cycles.

What you’ll do

• Working closely with antibody and small moleule therapeutics project teams to understand project goals and requirements.
• Developing and executing high-quality SPR assays for screening and characterisation of antibodies and small molecule therapeutics.
• Interpreting and sharing experimental data through regular team presentations.
• Improving existing methods and identification and evaluation of new technologies for understanding molecular interactions.

Interested? For this role we’re looking for the following education, experience and skills

• A BSc, MSc or PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant biological discipline.
• A good level of hands-on experience of practical laboratory work.
• Meticulous attention to detail and a drive to deliver.
• A strong team ethic and the ability to multi-task in an exciting and dynamic research environment.
• Excellent communication, self-motivation, and organisational skills.
• Although the ideal candidate would have some previous experience of SPR or orthogonal biophysical methods full training will be provided along with on-going support from experienced team members.
• A desire to get involved in drug discovery

We can offer you to join a diverse, motivated team directly contributing to the success of therapeutic projects. Technical training from world-class experts and access to the latest technologies. An environment where you take ownership of your data and contribute to drug discovery in a collaborative environment. To work in a company with a culture of striving to make a difference to patients’ lives. Opportunity to share your research in and with the global scientific community.

UCB is committed to flexible working and offers a competitive salary and benefits package with a structured career development programme designed to enhance your technical and scientific skills and equip you to further your career in industry and drug discovery.

If you are interested to learn more about R&D within UCB, please find more information here R&D at UCB.

RANDATUCB

Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!

About us
UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are around 8,500 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work for us?
At UCB, we don’t just complete tasks, we create value. We aren’t afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected and has equitable opportunities to do their best work. We ‘go beyond’ to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that’s on our patients, our employees or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

Learn more about sustainability at UCB and how it is integrated into our business approach.

UCB and its subsidiaries encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace; we are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race/colour/religion/sex/national origin/veteran/disability/age/sexual orientation/gender identity.