Industrial Placement Student - In Vitro Pharmacology

With over 35 nationalities and a range of backgrounds represented in our Benevolent team, we aim to build an inclusive environment where our people can bring their authentic selves to work, be respected for who they are and the exceptional work they do. We welcome and actively encourage applications from all sections of society and are committed to offering equal employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, disability, age, citizenship, or any other basis. We see our diversity as an asset as we tackle challenging problems that bridge the gap between drug discovery and technology.

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The Role

As a placement student within BenevolentAI, you will be an integral part of one or more project teams and will learn how we use AI approaches to prioritise the best ideas and experiments and then test these ideas in the lab using a range of cell biology & pharmacology techniques with the ultimate goal of identifying molecules suitable to test in clinical studies. We have active projects against a number of disease areas ranging from cancer through to neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune, rare diseases and others. Our projects are fast moving and some may change by the time you start your placement so unfortunately we can’t say which disease area you’d be working in but if you’d like to work in a specific disease area, let us know and we’ll see what might be possible.

You will have a dedicated supervisor to help you learn and get the best out of your placement. Good familiarity and experience with a range of lab-based experimental approaches is required but you’ll receive full training on the specific laboratory techniques you’ll be using along with associated health and safety considerations.

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Primary Responsibilities

You will provide laboratory-based experimental input into one or more projects helping to generate data in the lab to support our AI-generated therapeutic hypotheses.
You will receive training and learn to carry out biological experiments which could include: cellular assays of drug action, cell culture, molecular biology techniques, cellular imaging and many others.
As a key part of a project team, you’ll work closely with others from areas such as AI/machine learning, medicinal chemistry, drug metabolism and in vivo pharmacology to design and coordinate project plans and experimental plans.
You’ll need to record all your experiments in our electronic lab notebook so we have an accurate record of all of your work.
You’ll have the chance to work with world-leading machine learning/AI scientists to learn how BenevolentAI is applying a range of AI approaches to drug discovery & development projects.
You’ll share your results with the rest of the team and beyond through written reports and oral presentations and you may also contribute to writing scientific publications or patent applications.
Your safety is very important to us so, following the safety guidance and training you’ll be given, you’ll be able to work in a way which keeps both you and all those around you safe in the lab at all times.

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We are looking for someone with

You’ll have an excellent understanding of your specialist area of study within the biological sciences (eg biology, biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology, cell biology), of human biology and how different medicines can be used to treat disease. You’ll be on track to achieve a first class or upper second class degree.
A desire to learn about how to discover new medicines to treat a range of diseases.
You’ll be a fast learner who thrives in a varied and fast-moving environment, learning, using new ideas and coming up with your own ideas every day.
We need someone who can demonstrate responsibility with the potential to work independently once trained, though someone who should also not be afraid to ask questions and seek clarification when needed.
You’ll enjoy working in a team and be able to easily communicate with others in your team and beyond to listen and understand the goals of the work, to share your results, to discuss scientific results & conclusions freely and to make new suggestions of future work.
You’ll be fun to work with and will play a full part in all aspects of your project and broader research at BenevolentAI!

The placement will be based at BenevolentAI’s Cambridge research centre based at the Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge. You’ll receive a competitive salary and benefits during your placement.

Closing date: January 4, 2021

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We share a passion for being part of a mission that matters, and we are always looking for curious and collaborative people who share our values and want to be part of our journey. If that sounds like a fit for you, hit the apply button and join us.

About us

BenevolentAI unites AI with human expertise to discover new and more effective medicines. Our unique computational R&D platform spans every step of the drug discovery process, powering an in-house pipeline of over 25 drug programmes. We advance our mission to reinvent drug discovery by harnessing the power of a diverse team, rich with different backgrounds, experiences, opinions and personalities. In our offices in London and New York and research facility in Cambridge (UK), we work in highly collaborative, multidisciplinary teams, harnessing skills across biology, chemistry, engineering, AI, machine learning, informatics, precision medicine and drug discovery.

Want to do a little more research before you apply?

Head over to our Glassdoor page to learn about our benefits, culture and to find out what our team think about life at Benevolent. You can also find out more about us on LinkedIn and Twitter.