Principal Scientist - Functional Genomics (London)

Principal Scientist - Endothelial Screening

London

About Relation

Relation is an end-to-end biotech company developing transformational medicines, with technology at our core. Our ambition is to understand human biology in unprecedented ways, discovering therapies to treat some of life’s most devastating diseases. We leverage single-cell multi-omics directly from patient tissue, functional assays, and machine learning to drive disease understanding—from cause to cure.

This year, we embarked on an exciting dual collaboration with GSK to tackle fibrosis and osteoarthritis, while also advancing our own internal osteoporosis programme. By combining our cutting-edge ML capabilities with GSK’s deep expertise in drug discovery, this partnership underscores our commitment to pioneering science and delivering impactful therapies to patients.

We are rapidly scaling our technology and discovery teams, offering a unique opportunity to join one of the most innovative TechBio companies. Be part of our dynamic, interdisciplinary teams, collaborating closely to redefine the boundaries of possibility in drug discovery. Our state-of-the-art wet and dry laboratories, located in the heart of London, provide an exceptional environment to foster interdisciplinarity and turn groundbreaking ideas into impactful therapies for patients.

We are committed to building diverse and inclusive teams. Relation is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, or age. We cultivate innovation through collaboration, empowering every team member to do their best work and reach their highest potential.

By joining Relation, you will become part of an exceptionally talented team with extraordinary leverage to advance the field of drug discovery. Your work will shape our culture, strategic direction, and, most importantly, impact patients’ lives.

The Opportunity

Relation has an excellent opportunity for a Principal Scientist to join an interdisciplinary, highly collaborative team of experimental and computational drug discovery researchers in our newly built state-of-the-art functional genomics lab in London.

Large-scale genetic studies, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have identified thousands of variants and loci associated with complex diseases. However, the vast majority of these loci lie in non-coding regions of the genome with unknown function, making it challenging to draw disease insights. At Relation, we generate proprietary large-scale datasets to accelerate the prediction of disease genes from these loci using state-of-the-art machine learning methods. We identify the key effector genes, cells, and pathways involved in disease pathophysiology to build disease-relevant assays and validate ML platform predictions, identifying candidate targets for further validation.

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented Principal Scientist to contribute intellectually and experimentally to this endeavour. By joining Relation, you will be part of an exceptionally talented team, gain exposure to a broad range of skills beyond your area of expertise, help shape our culture and strategic direction, and ultimately, make a positive impact on patients’ lives. As the company grows rapidly, there may be opportunities to supervise a small team.

Your Responsibilities

1. Lead the design, execution, and analysis of high-throughput endothelial functional screens, focusing on SSC-Endo assays and OA-Chondro models.
2. Develop, optimize, and implement functional assays to interrogate gene function in endothelial biology, including angiogenesis, EndoMT (Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition), and barrier integrity assays.
3. Work closely with computational scientists to establish robust data analysis pipelines for interpreting screening results and refining target selection.
4. Drive target validation efforts, integrating genetic and phenotypic screening approaches to identify novel therapeutic opportunities.
5. Stay at the forefront of gene-editing technologies, ensuring the application of cutting-edge CRISPR/Cas approaches to endothelial screening.
6. Maintain a hands-on role in lab operations, including tissue culture, assay automation, and quality control measures in a high-throughput screening environment.

Desirable

1. Expertise in OA-Chondro models and fibroblast-endothelial crosstalk.
2. Experience with automated liquid handling, FACS, and high-content imaging.
3. Familiarity with primary T cell functional assays and immune-endothelial interactions.
4. Broad expertise in molecular biology techniques, including cloning and transcriptomic analysis.

Your Attributes

1. Excellent attention to detail, analytical and critical thinking skills.
2. Strong team-working abilities and effective communication with scientists across disciplines.
3. Self-motivated with an inquisitive nature and eagerness to learn.
4. Ability to work in a fast-paced, data-driven environment with shifting priorities.
5. Willingness to contribute.

Join Us

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a company that is redefining how we understand genetics and disease risk. Your contributions will directly impact the development of transformative medicines for patients. Together, we’re not just conducting research—we’re setting new standards in machine learning and genetics. The patient is waiting.

Relation is a committed equal opportunities employer.

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