GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited Posted October 14, 2026

Antibody Discovery Associate Scientist

Uk, United Kingdom Full time
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GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Are you a passionate scientist looking to be at the cutting edge of antibody discovery and engineering, working in a team instrumental in generating the antibody and protein therapy pipelines of the future?

If so, this role is for you!

Large Molecule Research is a department within GSK’s Research Technologies group, part of a state-of-the-art and world-leading R&D Facility.  The department is dedicated to the discovery of novel and effective biopharmaceutical medicines. We comprise a number of complementary functions focused on the progression of a portfolio of biopharmaceuticals from initial antibody/protein discovery, expression and characterisation to molecular engineering, biological and physiochemical profiling.

We are currently seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated antibody discovery associate scientist. The role will be lab-centric and will involve working in a team with access to world-leading in vitro , in vivo and AI-driven in silico antibody discovery platforms. Our scientists become experts in determining the best integrated approaches to design, discover and engineer antibodies and other proteins to both established and novel disease targets. Specifically, this role will be focussed on the integration of yeast-based or phage display platforms with in silico design approaches. Through ‘library design’ and molecular engineering you will also be optimising antibodies into therapeutic grade leads towards the ultimate goal of generating first-in-class and best-in-class antibody-based medicines.

This exciting role will give you the opportunity to apply your existing knowledge, and be further trained as an antibody selections / discovery scientist and engineer in a dynamic team of experts working at the early stages of developing world class future medicines.  You would also gain exposure to other innovative technologies in use within the team such as B-cell sorting and screening, NGS, and be part of the AI-driven protein design revolution. Although predominantly lab-based, the role also involves important aspects of verbal and written communication and working within matrix teams across the department on therapeutic antibody programmes.

For candidates seeking to be located at our Stevenage site, this role will temporarily be based at Stevenage. However, the Company plans to relocate its offices to Cambridge, UK. The location of this role will therefore subsequently change to Cambridge, UK in accordance with timelines to be set by the Company. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029

In this role you will...

Be able to train and develop your skills within the exciting field of antibody / protein discovery and engineering.

Be part of a team designing and executing experiments towards the identification and optimisation of antibodies and proteins.

Primarily use yeast-based, but also phage-display, selection technologies, combined with in silico design tools

Potentially combine other approaches such as in vivo antibody discovery, B-cell sorting and NGS.

Design individual antibodies or antibody ‘libraries’ tailored towards improving certain therapeutic properties.

Represent your ‘home team’ within matrix groups working towards developing therapeutic antibodies to a variety of ‘targets’ across a broad spectrum of diseases.

Prepare and perform verbal and written scientific communications, requiring good organisation as well as a broader scientific knowledge.

Contribute to non-lab based workstreams essential to the functioning of antibody discovery department

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Why you?

Essential Qualifications & Skills:

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

BSc/MSc in life sciences or equivalent.

Experience studying or researching aspects of biopharmaceutical drug discovery or antibody discovery methods.

Some experience of lab-based molecular biology techniques

Proactive, and an ability to adapt quickly to new scientific areas.

Good analytical and data interpretation skills with the ability to troubleshoot.

An ability to deploy the use of AI tools to enhance scientific or other work.

Good scientific writing & verbal communication skills.

Ability to work effectively both as an individual and within a team.

Ability to multitask and work across multiple projects simultaneously.

 

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:

Direct hands-on experience of antibody display and/or directed evolution and associated protein engineering techniques.

Experience of using AI-based tools for an antibody / protein application

Closing Date for Applications: Wednesday 28th October 2026

Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert.

When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application and your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter, and CV will be used to assess your application.

Skills

Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Data Quality, Following Instructions, Interpersonal Communication, Lab Maintenance, Life Science, Molecular Biology, Proper Documentation, Scientific Presentations, Scientific Research, Scientific Writing

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive.

We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us at UKRecruitment.Adjustments@gsk.com where you can also request a call.

Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments, we will not be able to support you through these channels. However, we have created a Recruitment FAQ guide. Click the Link where you will find answers to multiple questions we receive

Important notice to Employment businesses/ Agencies

GSK does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact GSK's commercial and general procurement/human resources department to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to GSK. The obtaining of prior written authorization is a condition precedent to any agreement (verbal or written) between the employment business/ agency and GSK. In the absence of such written authorization being obtained any actions undertaken by the employment business/agency shall be deemed to have been performed without the consent or contractual agreement of GSK. GSK shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.

Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license, GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs, on your behalf, in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSK’s compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information, please visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/

Job details

Seniority
Associate
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Uk, United Kingdom
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 91 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 27 biopharma companies.

91Comparable roles tracked
84Currently active
27Companies hiring similar roles
11Countries represented

Salary context

23 of 91 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · 2027 Future Talent Program - Discovery Neuroscience - Co-op · Merck $39,908/yr – $111,111/yr
Highest disclosed · Finance Manager, R&D Discovery Research · AbbVie $109,500/yr – $208,500/yr
Peer group range $75,510 – $159,000 (median $97,100)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 91 comparable roles

United States58
France9
Germany5
Canada4
Belgium4
Switzerland3

+ 5 more countries

Seniority mix

91 of 91 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc58
Associate23
Manager10

Therapeutic area mix

12 of 91 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology5
Neuroscience4
Cardiovascular / CVRM2
Immunology1

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The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
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Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.