Based at Alderley Park, Medicines Discovery Catapult is a national Life Sciences service dedicated to turning drug discovery into commercial breakthroughs. We accelerate the development of science, and where there are areas of unmet patient need, we stimulate innovation.

By transforming drug discovery, we can improve patient lives, increase the impact of the UK Life Sciences sector, and create a healthier society and economy. Our interventions work. Since we started, we have helped over 300 companies raise over £1bn of R&D investment. We seek passionate individuals who are eager to collaborate, innovate, and make a tangible difference in the field of drug discovery.

Together, we can unlock new therapies, enhance patient outcomes, and ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of life sciences innovation. If you are ready to make an impact, we invite you to be part of our journey.

The values of the Catapult are:

Excellence – we continually strive to deliver the best solutions for our partners and for each other. In everything we do, we instil confidence.
Integrity – Our strong commitment to what we do and why we are here drives us to do the right thing for our partners and each other.
Community – We’re a strong team, we work well together, and we respect each other.
Innovation - We’re driven by the need to make a difference. We constantly look for ways to drive change in our sector and how we work.

Role purpose

In vitro Biology is a key pillar in our Science Strategy, and we have established a suite of advanced cell models and aligned technology platforms to assess drug-target engagement, functional response, and mechanism of action for our partner’s lead molecules to support and advance their drug discovery projects. Central to this strategy, we have established an advanced light microscopy platform that comprises confocal, multiphoton, and super resolution microscopes, a high-content imaging platform and associated image processing and analysis software.

The role of the Lead Scientist – Molecular Biology and Advanced Microscopy would suit an individual with technical expertise in the field and who is passionate about the application of molecular tools and advanced microscopy techniques to drug discovery, enabling better translation of in vitro evaluation of therapeutics to the clinic, to improve patient outcomes. They will provide scientific, project and operational leadership in this discipline; collaborating closely with colleagues in interdisciplinary project teams and will make a significant contribution to delivery of the MDC in vitro Biology project portfolio.

The Lead Scientist will actively engage with the external community through collaborations and seek new opportunities to collaborate with new customers developing drug discovery projects, identifying potential partners, and initiating collaborations.

Main duties and responsibilities

Operational leadership of the MDC Molecular Biology and Advanced Microscopy team, to deliver a portfolio of projects to time, quality and cost while mitigating risks and addressing issues as required
Continually manage project resources, timeline, and budget according to defined workplans, consulting with Discovery Operations, Finance, Legal and Business Development teams, and external partners as required, to deliver the project .
Line management of a team of scientists providing technical oversight and a focus on individual development.
Lead the development and application of microscopy techniques, utilising our current platform, to enable target engagement, mechanistic and phenotypic studies of therapeutic modalities, including complex medicines, monoclonal antibodies and small molecules.
Lead the development and implementation of molecular biology techniques, for example CRISPR, to support drug discovery projects.
Work in close partnership with MDC experts in in vitro Biology, in vivo Biology and Translational Medicine teams to deliver end-to-end workflows that can be applied to collaborative projects.
Lead collaborative projects to completion, delivering high quality data in a complex and time pressured research team environment.
Establish and validate experimental endpoints for medicine evaluation to industry standards.
Design and deliver strategies to evaluate phenotypic responses of multiple cell populations and complex cell models and tissue samples including the assessment of therapeutic efficacy.
Act as the discipline expert, providing insights to allow the continued development and application of the Molecular Biology and Advanced Light Microscopy platforms within the Catapult.
Contribute drug discovery knowledge, scientific insight, and innovative technical approaches for more successful drug discovery programmes.
Effective communication and research collaboration skills, working with a wide range of colleagues in range of academic and commercial organisations.

Essential Experience:

Experience in molecular engineering of cells including lentiviral transduction, CRISPR techniques and molecular analysis technologies for evaluation of therapeutics.
Expertise in a wide range on advanced light microscopy methodologies such as confocal, super resolution, multiphoton, live imaging and high content applied to biological samples, demonstrated by a strong record of project delivery and a strong publication record.
Experience in image analysis and image processing with commercial and open-source software, and through writing new scripts.
Experience in ex vivo tissue analysis including preparation, analysis, and validation methodologies.
Experience in line management and delivery of projects through others.
Substantial experience, in drug discovery microscopy assays, neuroscience or complex medicines characterization; with experience of working in drug discovery, and developing in vitro assays ideally in an industry setting.
History of leading and delivering projects in a collaborative environment with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
Ability to communicate effectively with both experts and non-experts in the field.
Effective communication and research collaboration skills, with experience of working with a wide range of external partners in commercial and academic organisations.

Desirable Experience:

External reputation in field, evidence by publication record and wider impact.
History of innovation and establishing new capabilities for their organisation.
Experience of working in or with SMEs and a good understanding of commercialisation of science would be an advantage.

Education & qualifications:

PhD in the field of molecular and cell biology with substantial relevant postdoctoral experience in therapeutic characterisation using Advanced Light Microscopy, preferably in an industrial setting.

Closing date: Friday 16th January 2026

Please note the closing date for applications may be brought forward if a high volume of applications are received.