UCB are looking for a highly motivated scientist to join the Early Solutions department at UCB’s UK Discovery Research Hub. You will be responsible for Laboratory-based tasks, which include sampling, testing, measuring, recording and analyzing results. Techniques will include mammalian cell culture, cell transfection, PBMC and tissue preparation.

Qualification Requirements

• 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) grade A*-C (4-9)  Inc Maths, English and Science.

• You must have gained a minimum of 80 UCAS points from a minimum of 2 A-level subjects including either Chemistry or Biology (or equivalent, e.g. BTEC) and an additional Science or Maths.

Salary - £21,000 per annum

Benefits

• Holiday Allowance - 28 Days Holiday Allowance, plus Bank Holidays

• Pension - Employee 5%, Employer 3%

• Casual Dress

• Employee assistance programme

• Onsite parking

• Onsite Canteen

• Gym membership

• Paid sick leave 10 paid days per year once probationary period is completed

• Days off for volunteering – 1 day per year

• Employee recognition / Aspire award

Location - 208 Bath Rd, Slough SL1 3WE until late 2026 where UCB will move to new site Sunninghill Road, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PP

Working Hours
Monday to Friday, 09:00am – 17:30pm with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break.

Flexible working hours, 10am – 15:30pm core hours with remaining hours made up around these times

Work from home, 40% onsite minimum requirement.

Duration - 60 months

Start Date - September 2026

Interview Date - To be confirmed

Closing Date for Applications - 4th March 2026

Job Description

UCB are currently looking for highly motivated scientists to join the Early Solutions department at UCB’s UK Discovery Research Hub in Slough. Working within the Target Validation and Tractability Department you will be part of a team of scientists working on our early pipeline targets. You will be responsible for laboratory-based tasks using a range of cutting-edge scientific technologies to support therapeutic projects and technology development. You will receive training in all techniques and will have your own mentor to provide help and advice during your time at UCB. This represents a great opportunity to work in industry-leading laboratories at the cutting edge of drug discovery.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

You will be responsible for laboratory-based tasks to support new target proposals and new target discovery, with techniques including mammalian cell culture, cell transfection, PBMC and tissue preparation, biochemical and cell based binding assays, molecular biology and DNA manipulation.  You will work autonomously to carry out relevant scientific experiments supporting various projects, and you will analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data generated and present results clearly in written and oral form to the multi-disciplinary teams.  You will autonomously plan and prioritise your tasks and use creative thinking and problem solving, in addition to reading literature and input from colleagues to challenge assumptions, innovate, and build on the existing knowledge and scientific techniques within the team.

Job Responsibilities

• Design and perform well-structured experiments to generate reliable data for scientific investigations.

• Execute tasks accurately, following established methodologies and safety procedures.

• Record all laboratory work to agreed standards and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Interpret, analyse, and present results clearly in team meetings and to diverse audiences.

• Manage time effectively to plan and deliver work to schedule.

Expanded Duties

• Develop and manage collaborative workplans to achieve project outcomes.

• Evaluate, select, and troubleshoot scientific equipment and analytical tools.

• Critically assess and integrate data from multiple sources to draw robust conclusions.

• Identify and resolve technical problems, applying scientific knowledge for continuous improvement.

• Engage with stakeholders, providing technical advice and sharing best practices across teams.

• Keep up to date with technological advances and sustainable working practices.

• Design and lead complex biology-based investigations and projects, considering environmental and sustainability factors.