Research Synthesis Chemist

The Impact You’ll Make

We are growing our chemistry team at Recursion and are seeking a Research Synthetic Chemist to join our Automated Chemistry group. We are looking for an individual that thrives in a dynamic and collaborative team environment and successfully adopts new technologies and workflows to accelerate drug discovery.

You will independently convert synthesis requests into structured experimental plans for our state-of-the-art Chemistry Automation platform. You will collaborate with other scientists and automation specialists with our chemistry team to meet project deadlines by providing hands-on experimental support and take ownership of your experimental work to deliver compounds and reaction data. 

With structured training and drawing on previous experience of lab automation or methodology development, you will develop deep familiarity with the Chemistry Automation Platform and workflow software, and be able to propose, develop and translate new methodologies onto the automated platform in collaboration with senior chemists and automation engineers. 

In this role, you will:

• Execute synthetic routes by seamlessly integrating traditional laboratory techniques with our automated chemistry platforms to deliver high-quality compounds independently for drug discovery projects.
• Translate synthetic methods to the automation platform utilising critical thinking and your technical knowledge of chemical reactivity and methodology development. 
• Learn how to diagnose and resolve chemical or procedural issues within our automated workflows seeking assistance from automation specialists where needed.
• Collaborate with teams at the interface of automated chemistry, medicinal chemistry, software and hardware engineering to develop our platform and tools to better serve patients
• Champion a culture of laboratory excellence by taking a proactive approach to HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) standards and maintaining a high-performance lab environment. 

The Team You’ll Join 

As a core member of Recursion’s Automated Chemistry team, you will join a multidisciplinary group of highly skilled scientists and engineers. This team operates at the technological cutting edge, focusing on the application of automation and advanced cheminformatics tools to synthetic organic chemistry in support of our medicinal chemistry programmes.

The Experience You’ll Need

• A PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry or BS/MSc degree in Chemistry (with equivalent experience) and experience of performing synthetic organic chemistry in an industrial setting.
• Adept at safely planning and executing chemical synthesis for medicinal chemistry or equivalent applications delivering high quality contributions in an independent manner.
• Demonstrable experience of adopting computational tools, new software or lab automation with a positive impact on throughput or data quality.
• Strong communication skills, ensuring clear and concise information exchange with peers and key stakeholders.

Preferred

• Exposure to automation in synthesis (e.g., liquid handling, HTE, powder dispensing, parallel synthesis, or flow), even if not yet the primary focus of your role.
• Experience supporting library expansions or direct-to-biology in a medicinal chemistry or discovery context.

Working Location & Compensation:

This position is based at our office located in Milton Park (Bell Labs), UK. We operate a hybrid environment, but this lab‑based role requires the majority of time onsite to perform hands‑on experimental work and collaborate directly with the Automation Chemistry team. Specific onsite expectations can be discussed during the hiring process.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skill and level of experience required for this role, the estimated current annual base range for this role is £52,000 to £70,400. You will also be eligible for an annual bonus and equity compensation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package. 

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