Medicinal Chemist, London, Lausanne

Medicinal Drug Design Lead, London or Lausanne

We are here to advance human health, by re-imagining drug discovery with the power and pace of artificial intelligence.

The future is coming. A future enabled and enriched by the incredible power of machine learning. A future in which diseases are curtailed or cured by better and faster drug discovery. 

Our values exist in service of that future. We think they’ll help us bring it closer, too.

Come and be part of an interdisciplinary team driving groundbreaking innovation and play a meaningful role in contributing towards us achieving our ambitious goals, while being a part of an inspiring and collaborative culture.

The world we want tomorrow is the one we’re building today. It starts with the culture at this company. It starts with you. If this ticks you

About Iso

Isomorphic Labs (IsoLabs) was founded in 2021 and is led by Sir Demis Hassabis. Our aim is to usher in a new era of biomedical breakthroughs and find cures for some of humanity’s devastating diseases.

Our foundations are built on the success of Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold, but we didn’t stop there! We are continuing to develop and implement state-of-the-art technologies as we move towards our goal of dramatically accelerating and improving the process of designing and bringing new medicines to patients.

We have built a world-leading drug design engine comprising foundational AI models that are capable of working across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities. The company is continually innovating on model architecture and developing cutting-edge capabilities to advance rational drug design.

About the Medicinal Drug Design Team

We are a growing, dynamic team of medicinal chemists within the Drug Design and Medical Research function. We drive the medicinal chemistry strategy for our internal portfolio and collaboration projects. Crucially, we partner closely with our AI/ML colleagues, using our domain expertise to enhance the Isomorphic Platform and leverage its power to accelerate drug design. We foster a supportive, learning-focused environment where every member is valued, and continuous professional development is a priority.

Your impact 

As part of our expansion, we are excited to hire talented and motivated Medicinal Chemists. This is a fantastic opportunity for scientists early in their careers to enter the exciting field of AI-driven drug discovery.

You will be an integral part of project teams, learning how to apply the latest AI to drug design. Working alongside experienced medicinal chemists within an interdisciplinary team, you will receive dedicated mentorship and gain hands-on experience applying state-of-the-art computational tools to real-world drug discovery challenges. If you are ambitious, eager to learn, and want to apply your chemistry skills in a cutting-edge environment, Isomorphic Labs offers an unparalleled opportunity for growth.

What you will do 

• Contribute to Drug Design: Apply your knowledge of synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry to design novel molecules with desirable drug-like properties using the Iso platform.
• Execute Chemistry Strategy: Work closely with senior chemists and CRO partners to plan and execute synthetic routes, troubleshoot synthetic challenges, and ensure timely delivery of target compounds.
• Data Analysis & Interpretation: Analyse and interpret biological and chemical data. 
• Collaborate Effectively: Work within multi-disciplinary project teams (including computational chemists, biologists, DMPK scientists, AI/ML researchers) and manage relationships with external CRO chemists under guidance.
• Communicate Science: Prepare clear summaries, reports, and presentations of your work for internal meetings and potentially contribute to documentation for external partners.
• Learn and Grow: Actively seek, and engage in, learning opportunities, embrace feedback, and contribute positively to our inclusive and science-driven culture.

Skills and qualifications 

Essential:

• PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong foundational knowledge of modern synthetic organic chemistry
• Foundational understanding of core medicinal chemistry concepts (e.g. structure-activity relationships and basic ADME/PK principles).
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and scientific curiosity.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, with an ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• A genuine passion for drug discovery and enthusiasm for learning how AI/ML can transform the field.
• A strong growth mindset, adaptability, and eagerness to learn new concepts and techniques. 

Nice to have:

• 1-2 years of relevant postdoctoral or industrial medicinal chemistry experience.
• Experience working with or managing chemistry activities at Contract Research Organisations (CROs).
• Familiarity with computational chemistry tools and techniques (e.g., molecular modeling, data analysis software).
• Knowledge of specific drug discovery approaches like Structure-Based Drug Design (SBDD) or Fragment-Based Drug Design (FBDD).
• Understanding of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) principles.
• Track record of authorship of relevant scientific manuscripts and inventorship of composition of matter patents.
• Solid understanding of core medicinal chemistry concepts (e.g. structure-activity relationships and basic ADME/PK principles).

Excited about this opportunity? We encourage you to apply by Friday, May 23rd, 2025.

Culture and values

We are guided by our shared values. It's not about finding people who think and act in the same way. These values help to guide our work and will continue to strengthen it. 

Thoughtful
Thoughtful at Iso is about curiosity, creativity and care. It is about good people doing good, rigorous and future-making science every single day.

Brave
Brave at Iso is about fearlessness, but it’s also about initiative and integrity. The scale of the challenge demands nothing less.

Determined
Determined at Iso is the way we pursue our goal. It’s a confidence in our hypothesis, as well as the urgency and agility needed to deliver on it. Because disease won’t wait, so neither should we.

Together
Together at Iso is about connection, collaboration across fields and catalytic relationships. It’s knowing that transformation is a group project, and remembering that what we’re doing will have a real impact on real people everywhere.

Creating an extraordinary company

We believe that to be successful we need a team with a range of skills and talents. We're building an environment where collaboration is fundamental, learning is shared and every employee feels supported and able to thrive. We value unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, and perspectives, and harness these qualities to create extraordinary impact.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis protected by applicable law. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Hybrid working

It’s hugely important for us to share knowledge and build strong relationships with each other, and we find it easier to do this if we spend time together in person. This is why we follow a hybrid model, and would require you to be able to come into the office 3 days a week (currently Tuesday, Wednesday, and one other day depending on which team you’re in). If you have additional needs that would prevent you from following this hybrid approach, we’d be happy to talk through these if you’re selected for an initial screening call.

Please note that when you submit an application, your data will be processed in line with our privacy policy.

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