Research Scientist, Life Sciences (Chemistry)

About the role

Anthropic’s Life Sciences team is creating a research group that merges artificial intelligence with hands‑on biological work to accelerate discoveries. As a Research Scientist specializing in medicinal chemistry, you will translate AI‑generated hypotheses into real‑world experiments, designing and synthesizing small molecules and evaluating their biological activity.

Key responsibilities

• Design multi‑step synthetic routes for small molecules and manage their execution from route selection through reaction optimization, purification, and full characterization (NMR, LC‑MS, HPLC).
• Coordinate synthesis and biological testing with external contract research organizations and academic collaborators.
• Assess AI‑designed compounds and synthetic pathways, generate experimental readouts, and feed results back to AI research teams.
• Apply medicinal chemistry principles such as SAR analysis and physicochemical property optimization to prioritize compounds.
• Maintain high‑quality documentation of procedures, spectra, and failure modes across programs.
• Communicate findings clearly to chemistry, AI, and life‑sciences audiences.

Required profile

• PhD in chemistry.
• Hands‑on medicinal chemistry experience with SAR‑driven design and optimization of small molecules.
• Ability to thrive in an ambiguous, fast‑moving research environment.
• Strong independent work ethic combined with effective cross‑functional collaboration and excellent written and verbal communication.

Required skills

• Experience with NMR, LC‑MS, and HPLC for compound characterization.
• Proficiency in Python, preferably using RDKit or pandas for data analysis and automation.
• Knowledge of SAR analysis and physicochemical property optimization.