Principal Scientist, Pharmaceutical Development

Overview

In this Principal Scientist role, you will lead developability-focused science within a modern IQVIA Pharmaceutical Development function, combining physicochemical sciences, biopharmaceutics and AI-enabled approaches to anticipate risks and guide candidate progression. You’ll embed developability thinking early in discovery, work across cross-functional teams, mentor scientists, and steer client-facing projects from proposal to delivery. This is a growth phase opportunity to shape a strategic capability with real client impact.

Responsibilities

• Design and oversee developability studies to support candidate progression
• Integrate physicochemical, solid-state, biopharmaceutic and formulation data to inform decisions
• Apply AI-enabled and data-driven approaches to risk assessment, literature insight and prioritisation
• Translate insights into clear recommendations for drug discovery teams and client programmes
• Recommend formulation and development strategies for challenging molecules
• Provide scientific leadership within multidisciplinary programmes
• Lead pharmaceutical development projects from proposal through delivery
• Serve as primary scientific contact for client programmes
• Lead and support business development through technical discussions and client interactions
• Mentor and develop junior scientists
• Contribute to growth and evolution of the Pharmaceutical Development group

Key requirements

• Significant industrial experience in pharmaceutical development or drug discovery
• Experience designing and interpreting developability, preformulation or formulation studies
• Strong understanding of physicochemical, biopharmaceutic and drug delivery principles
• Ability to integrate experimental, computational, predictive and AI-enabled approaches for decision-making
• Track record of leading scientific projects and influencing direction
• Excellent communication and client-facing skills
• Passion for scientific problem solving, mentoring and continuous improvement

• Excellent communication and client-facing skills
• Mentoring and leadership
• Curiosity and scientific drive
• Model-informed and data-driven formulation design
• Computational, predictive and AI-enabled developability approaches
• Interpretation of PK data to inform formulation and candidate selection

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