Senior Scientist I

INTRODUCTION

We are seeking an ambitious and experienced cell biologist to join our neuroscience and iPSC team at Arctoris, a fast-growing drug discovery services company based on Milton Park in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The successful candidate will be a highly experienced, hands-on cell biologist with a strong track record of delivering complex neuroscience projects in a commercial drug discovery setting. They will play a crucial role in all aspects of both our client-focused work and collaborative discovery and automation projects.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Experimental Design & Project Execution

• Support the planning and execution of internal and client research projects to a high standard, under the guidance of senior team members.
• Perform in vitro experiments and assays with precision and rigor.
• Maintain mammalian, iPSC and primary cell cultures across a variety of disease settings (primarily neuroscience, as well as supporting the wider team).
• Perform thorough data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of experiment results (including high-quality written reports).
• Maintain accurate and detailed documentation of all experimental work.
• Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure reproducibility and high-quality standards.

Communication & Collaboration

• Communicate effectively on scientific progress during project updates and client meetings.
• Provide accurate feasibility assessments of potential projects to assist the sales and project management teams.
• Work well within a team to optimise processes and learn.

Neuroscience Capability Development

• Support senior colleagues with the scoping of new neuroscience client projects, providing scientific insight into experimental design and feasibility.
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• Stay at the forefront of the field, bringing emerging research methodologies into the Arctoris neuroscience portfolio.

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Industrial Background

• PhD in Neuroscience, Neurobiology, or related field.
• Ideally 1-3 years of post-PhD experience, predominantly in an industrial setting.
• Some experience of working in a drug discovery environment.

Technical & Scientific Expertise

• Strong experience in mammalian cell culture and complex cell models, with a strong background in at least one neural cell model such as, neurons, microglia or astrocytes. 
• Experience in neurodegenerative and/or neuroinflammatory diseases and complementary advanced in vitro research techniques. 
• Cellular assay development expertise for drug screening, including application of appropriate assay validation metrics.
• Implementing, performing, and troubleshooting a broad range of cell-based assays (e.g., high content imaging, flow cytometry, ELISA, luminescence/fluorescence plate-reader assays, qPCR…).
• Advanced instrumentation or automation experience.

Data & Dissemination

• Experience handling small as well as large datasets, including data QC and statistical analysis.
• Proven ability to disseminate research results (e.g., in reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed journal publications).

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

Problem-Solving & Analytical Mindset:

A proactive, inquisitive approach to troubleshooting. You possess an ability to identify technical issues that impact data quality (e.g., outlier assessment, curve fitting) and implement systemic solutions to ensure rigorous data integrity.

Operational Agility: 

The ability to operate effectively within a fast-paced, client-facing environment. You are comfortable managing multiple tasks simultaneously, adapting to changing priorities, and maintaining precision under deadline-driven conditions.

Collaborative Scientific Delivery: 

A natural collaborator who works seamlessly with data science, portfolio management, and business development. You are adept at translating complex scientific data into actionable insights for colleagues and clients.

Automation Aptitude & Technical Growth:

A high degree of adaptability to new laboratory technologies. You demonstrate a proactive aptitude for learning and optimizing automated workflows, with a clear focus on driving efficiency and reproducibility in your lab work.

Professional Communication:

Strong capacity to articulate experimental progress and complex technical concepts clearly. You are confident in providing data-driven updates during client meetings and responding to technical queries.

CULTURE & BENEFITS

Culture

• Dedicated, passionate and agile team who are constantly innovating and celebrating team successes
• Flexible and collaborative work culture with extensive development and progression opportunities
• Inclusion, diversity and belonging is core to our success.  We embrace everything unique and continue to be proud of our diverse, rich culture.  When you are at your best, we are at our best

Benefits

• Highly competitive reward package
• Pension scheme, 4x life insurance and other benefits, including bike to work scheme
• Generous sick pay scheme and enhanced family-friendly policies
• Personalised health and well-being support
• A minimum of 28 days’ annual leave, together with generous flexible and remote working opportunities to ensure you have a great work/life balance
• Regular team events, fresh fruit and snacks and lots of opportunities to socialise and build great relationships.

ABOUT US

Arctoris a leading drug discovery services company advancing drug discovery experimentation. We combine our unique automated laboratory and data science platform, Ulysses™, with a world-class team of seasoned drug hunters to guide and rapidly progress biotech and pharmaceutical partner drug discovery programs from target to hit, lead, and candidate.

https://www.arctoris.com/