Investigator (In Vitro), Small Molecule Oncology Drug Discovery

GlaxoSmithKline; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 85,000

Job description

Site Name: Cambridge 300 Technology Square
Posted Date: Mar 14 2025

The Intracellular Targeted Cancer Therapeutics (ITCT) Biology Unit within the Oncology Research Unit is seeking an experienced Cancer Biologist for an Investigator role that will support a growing portfolio of precision oncology assets. The successful candidate will have a strong background in cancer biology with experience designing and executing biological studies to understand the mechanism-of-action of small molecule cancer therapeutics.

Responsibilities:

1. Work within a dynamic and global matrix team environment providing basic and translational biology support for target validation, drug discovery, and early clinical development of novel small molecule cancer therapies.
2. Work independently to design, execute, and oversee impactful in vitro experiments informing the development of portfolio assets.
3. Champion innovative experimental techniques or technologies, including medium-throughput scalable assay development, target-specific mechanistic biology, and monotherapy and combination anti-cancer efficacy of assets.
4. Build communication networks across the Oncology Research Team and broader organization.
5. Guide the maturation and de-risking of novel therapeutic concepts.

Basic Qualifications:

1. PhD in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Pharmacology, or related life sciences field with 3+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience in small molecule/cancer intrinsic drug discovery.
2. MS in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Pharmacology, or related life sciences field with 6+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience in small molecule/cancer intrinsic drug discovery.
3. Experience leading design, execution, and data analysis for Small Molecule/Cancer Intrinsic experiments including, Target Identification and Validation, Assay Development, and Critical Path Mechanistic and Translational Biology of Targeted Cancer/Oncology Therapies.
4. Record of peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and/or patents.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience identifying and validating novel small molecule targeted therapeutics.
2. Experience with the design and functional testing of diverse small molecules.
3. Experience in the design and execution of drug combination screens and the utilization of screen data for drug discovery and development.
4. Experience in the design and implementation of functional genomic and/or chemogenomic screens and their application to drug discovery and target identification.
5. Experience supporting the delivery of small molecule assets to the clinic.
6. Deep knowledge in tumor intrinsic mechanisms, resistance to cancer therapies, DNA damage response (DDR), genome instability, and replication stress.
7. Working knowledge of -omic methods (e.g., sequencing, transcriptomics, and/or proteomics) and databases (e.g., Sanger, DepMap, CCLE, etc).
8. Expertise in imaging-based assays and analysis.
9. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong background in cancer biology.
10. Attention to detail and proficient reasoning skills in experimental design, data analysis, statistical methods, and interpretation.
11. Independence, problem-solving abilities, self-motivation, resourcefulness, and organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
12. Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced team environment and to manage multiple priorities in a matrix environment.

The position is available in Cambridge, MA, USA.