Student Placement - Medicinal Chemistry (lab based undergraduate placement scheme)

Student Placement - Medicinal Chemistry (Lab based)

Salary: £24,000 plus benefits
Reports to: Group Leader (Medicinal Chemistry)
Directorate: Research & Innovation
Contract: 52 week, Fixed Term Contract
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Location: CRUK Scotland institute, Glasgow (Lab based)
Closing date: Sunday 8th November 2026
This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received therefore, we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk
Recruitment process: Screening call + Competency based interview

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

As the world’s biggest medical research charity, we’ve helped bring eleven new cancer drugs to market. However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster.

We have recently developed a new approach to driving therapeutic innovation through the creation of Cancer Research Horizons (CRH). We have brought together Cancer Research UK’s established drug discovery teams under one organisation and leadership team, combining our unique pipeline of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK’s world-class academic network, cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise to 1) bring new treatments to patients faster and 2) tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success.  

Based at sites in Cambridge, the CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow and Newcastle University, Cancer Research Horizons employs ~180 staff from both industrial and academic backgrounds.

In this role you will support the overarching objective of CRH-TI to discover novel cancer therapeutic agents that will ultimately provide patient benefit. This will involve the prosecution of a laboratory-based project that is designed to expand the Medicinal Chemistry team’s technical capabilities.

The successful candidate will join the Medicinal Chemistry team and will have an opportunity to apply their understanding of organic synthesis in our chemistry labs, working alongside an expert team of Medicinal Chemists.

Potential elements to the project may include:

• Development of greener and more sustainable chemistry techniques in our labs, such as electrochemistry and the use of green solvents.

• Route development and synthesis of novel compounds that will add value and diversity to our compound libraries, for use in screening campaigns.

We have 1 x 52-week placement to offer based in Glasgow, with negotiable start dates in September 2027.

What you’ll be doing?

• Synthesis, purification, and analysis of novel small molecules

• Apply organic synthesis knowledge in execution of experiments and interpretation of results

• Maintain awareness of relevant current scientific literature and developments 

• Provide verbal and written reports/presentations when required 

• Maintain laboratory notebooks and other data to required standards

• Perform all work demonstrating due care and attention to all health and safety regulations 

• Interact with colleagues in all areas of CRH-TI and provide help and assistance wherever possible 

• Contribute to the day-to-day running and responsibilities of the lab

• Participate in, and report to, chemistry group meetings when required 

• • Show appreciation of the scientific rationale of the project 
  • Contribute to design of experiments to progress the project

What are we looking for?

• Undergraduate student studying Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry or a closely related chemical science discipline who will have completed at least two years of study by August 2027.

• Ability to provide effective and timely communication of data and progress to your supervisor, and, when required, other members of staff within the chemistry group or wider project team.

• Experience of key organic chemistry techniques

• Setting up and working up reactions

• Purification such as column chromatography

• Analysis (eg. NMR)

• Knowledge of working safely in a lab environment.

• Ability to work effectively with other members of the team and building productive relationships.

• Skills in analysis / interpretation of data and pro-actively contributing to experimental design and strategy.

• Proficiency in organising and planning your daily tasks.

Please read the following information carefully before applying:

If you would like to apply for the student placement Scheme, please ensure that you meet the following criteria before completing your application form:

• Studying for a chemistry or similar degree (BSc/MSc/MSci/MChem) having successfully completed at least 2 years of study by August 2027
• Please note that applications from graduates and PhD students will NOT be considered for this scheme.
• You should be able to commence work in August / September 2027 (the start date is negotiable).
• You should have the right to live and work in the UK without restriction. We regret that we cannot consider applications from candidates who require a work permit to work in the UK.

Useful tips for completion of the application form:

• Read through the whole form first and draft your answers accordingly.
• Complete all sections - please do not leave any gaps.
• Check your spelling and grammar.
• Be concise and focused in your answers. Take particular care with answering the application questions. As noted below, CVs can only be seen once candidates reach the interview stage.  How the questions are answered is a key consideration for who gets invited to interview.
• And finally, don’t forget, it’s important that you tell us how you found out about the scheme.

If your application is short listed, you will be invited to attend an Interview (likely to be virtual). This will involve some exercises designed to assess your ability and a competency interview.

How do I apply?

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form and answer some screening questions, for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.  

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.