Senior Scientist (Solid-State Chemistry & Molecular Materials Science)

Overview

In this role you will strengthen solid-state science by applying molecular-level insight to design robust pharmaceutical materials across oral and inhalation platforms. You will join a global team, combining hands-on experimentation with computational methods to interpret material behavior and its impact on product performance. You will translate mechanistic understanding into practical material, process and product-performance control for clinical through commercial phases. This role offers opportunities to shape development decisions, collaborate cross-functionally, and contribute to regulatory readiness.

Responsibilities

• Lead solid-state science activities underpinning drug product projects and meet milestones in complex amorphous/disordered systems
• Identify Critical Molecularly Driven Material Attributes affecting performance and manufacturability
• Design laboratory experiments to assess solid-state risks and drug–excipient interactions
• Deconvolute how attributes influence performance (wetting, hydration, dissolution, supersaturation, recrystallisation)
• Investigate how molecular descriptors and processing conditions affect material formation and surface composition
• Translate mechanistic insight into robust material, process and product-performance control for stability and continuous manufacturing
• Drive digital-first strategies using in silico approaches alongside experiments to accelerate decisions
• Represent solid-state science on drug product projects, integrate risk-based material strategies, and engage external collaborators
• Author and review technical documentation for development, regulatory submissions, and responses
• Mentor and coach global solid-state science community through knowledge sharing and collaboration

Key requirements

• PhD or MSc with extensive experience in pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, materials science, spectroscopy or related field
• Deep expertise in molecular-level characterization of complex pharmaceutical materials (amorphous, disordered, heterogeneous)
• Hands-on solid-state characterization experience and ability to integrate diverse datasets
• Understanding of how material attributes and interactions influence developability, stability, dissolution and performance
• Ability to interpret data, connect molecular mechanisms to product implications, and propose practical controls
• Proven ability to lead scientific activities in multidisciplinary teams and deliver high-quality outcomes
• Strong communication skills to translate complex data into actionable recommendations
• Digital fluency with data-driven tools, computational techniques, and AI-enabled workflows

• curious and collaborative mindset
• ability to frame the right questions and choose appropriate approaches
• clear scientific communication and stakeholder engagement
• Molecular-level solid-state characterization
• Amorphous and disordered system analysis
• Molecular modelling and informatics

…