Senior Scientist II

Role Overview

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 biological 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

• Plan, execute and lead internal and client research projects to an exceptional standard.
• Perform in vitro experiments and assays with precision and rigor.
• Maintain mammalian, iPSC and primary cell cultures across a variety of disease settings (e.g., neuroscience, cancer, cardiovascular).
• 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 and refine 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, teach others, and learn.

Neuroscience Capability Development

• Contribute to the evolution of our neuroscience service offering by identifying and validating new assays or disease models.
• Support the scoping of new neuroscience client projects, providing scientific insight into experimental design and feasibility.
• Stay at the forefront of the field, bringing emerging research methodologies into the Arctoris neuroscience portfolio.

Qualifications & Experience

Education & Industrial Background

• PhD in Neuroscience, Neurobiology, or related field.
• Ideally 2-5 years of post-PhD experience, predominantly in an industrial setting.
• Significant experience of working in a drug discovery environment.

Technical & Scientific Expertise

• Strong experience in mammalian cell culture and complex cell models (ideally iPSC or other primary cell systems and/or 3D cell models).
• Expertise in neurodegenerative diseases and complementary advanced research techniques. 
• Extensive 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.
• Experience in setting up and/or running medium-to-high throughput screening (MTS-HTS) assays.

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).

Key Competencies & Skills

Problem-Solving & Analytical Mindset:

A proactive, inquisitive approach to troubleshooting. You possess an expert 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.