Research Leader / Senior Scientist (Medicinal Drug Design), Cambridge, MA

About the Medicinal Drug Design team

We are a dynamic team of Medicinal Chemists transforming how drugs are designed. By partnering deeply with our machine learning colleagues, we are doing more than just leveraging the Isomorphic Labs drug design engine - we are actively shaping it. We use our domain expertise to challenge and refine our algorithms, creating a powerful symbiotic relationship that drives our internal and collaborative portfolios. Our team works closely together in a supportive environment, where everyone is valued for their medicinal chemistry expertise and the experience they bring to the group. We have a strong growth mindset and prioritise continued development and learning.

Your impact

We’re hiring at the Research Leader and Senior Scientist levels, and you can apply for either position using the application form below. These roles are ideal for experienced medicinal chemists who are eager to shape the future of drug discovery at the intersection of medicinal chemistry and artificial intelligence.

Working as either a Project Lead or a Medicinal Chemistry Lead, you will provide scientific expertise and strategic direction for portfolio drug discovery projects, guiding them from initiation towards clinical candidate selection. Working alongside world-leading ML scientists, you will play a critical role in enhancing our AI platform through your technical expertise, and apply these improvements to drug design projects. You will have experience of working broadly across drug discovery projects, with the ability to think originally and critically, knowing when to apply innovative ideas, and think with a fresh approach. If you are a skilled Medicinal Chemist with a passion for applying cutting-edge technology to complex scientific challenges, this role offers an unparalleled opportunity for impact and growth.

As part of this hiring, some roles will have people management responsibilities for building teams of 2-4 Medicinal Chemists. In this case, you will be responsible for line managing and mentoring a talented and high-performing team, encouraging their scientific growth and career development. You’ll champion our cross-disciplinary approach, fostering a supportive team culture where continuous learning and the adoption of next-generation tools are the standard, not the exception.

What you will do

• Invent new medicines. Rapidly drive drug discovery programs to value inflection points by deploying your knowledge of modern discovery principles and synthetic organic chemistry, taking ownership as either an overall Project Lead or Medicinal Chemistry Lead.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to support the data-driven delivery of high quality scientific solutions to complex technical problems.
• Represent the company externally, interacting with existing and prospective collaborators and Contract Research Organisations (CROs).
• Provide strategic input and technical direction to our ML platform teams.
• Effectively manage CRO resources and monitor KPIs to maintain delivery.
• Generate intellectual property positions and capture the value derived from IsoLabs’ investment.
• Prepare detailed scientific proposals and reports to support new and ongoing programs.
• Embrace and champion our culture of inclusion and continuous professional development.

Skills and qualifications

Essential:

• PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, or a related technical field, or equivalent industrial experience.
• 8+ / 5+ years of professional experience in a Medicinal Chemistry role, operating within a biotech, pharma or CRO setting.
• Proven track record of project leadership / leading medicinal chemistry efforts on drug discovery projects, demonstrating significant contributions to project progression (ideally from hit identification through to lead optimisation or candidate nomination), with familiarity of optimisation of ADME properties.
• For a people management position, experience of leading a high-performing scientific team, mentoring and empowering them to thrive in their roles.
• Experience of driving a problem through structure-based drug design.
• Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities applied to complex drug discovery challenges.
• Experience of working with and closely managing CRO resources.
• Strong track record of scientific achievements, evidenced by publications, patents, and presentations.
• A genuine passion for drug discovery and enthusiasm for the potential of ML to transform the field.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, with an ability to work effectively in a cross-functional, collaborative team environment.
• Track record of creative problem solving with a strong growth mindset, adaptability, and eagerness to learn new concepts and techniques.

Nice to have:

• Experience of successful application of fragment-based drug design approaches.