Small Molecule Drug Discovery Scientist

Shanghai5+ years

Role Overview

We are seeking a Small Molecule Drug Discovery Scientist to serve as the core bridge between our company and the life sciences sector.

In this role, you will leverage your expertise in small molecule drug discovery to deeply understand customers' R&D workflows, identify scientific challenges and business opportunities, and translate them into innovative AI-powered product solutions. Rather than conducting laboratory research, you will play a key role in shaping product strategy, defining product capabilities, and driving AI innovation for pharmaceutical R&D.

What You’ll Do

1. Industry Insights & Customer Requirement Translation

Engage closely with pharmaceutical companies (particularly those focused on small molecule drug discovery and medicinal chemistry) and research institutions to develop a deep understanding of their drug discovery workflows, scientific challenges, and R&D decision-making processes.
Identify key business pain points and emerging opportunities across the drug discovery lifecycle, from target discovery through preclinical development.
Translate customer needs into clear product requirements and functional specifications that can be effectively executed by Engineering, AI, and Data teams.

2. Product Solution Design

Leverage the company's AI capabilities, proprietary data assets, and technology platforms to design innovative product solutions that address customers' drug discovery challenges.
Work closely with Engineering, AI, and Data teams to define product requirements, solution workflows, and feature roadmaps, ensuring both scientific value and commercial impact.
Drive continuous product improvement by incorporating customer feedback and evolving industry needs.

3. Business Collaboration

Act as the scientific product expert to support Business Development (BD) and Sales teams during strategic customer engagements.
Participate in customer workshops, scientific discussions, product demonstrations, and key account collaborations, helping customers understand how AI technologies can improve drug discovery efficiency.

4. Trend Research & Knowledge Development

Continuously monitor advances in small molecule drug discovery, AI for drug discovery, and pharmaceutical R&D.
Evaluate emerging technologies, scientific trends, and industry developments to identify future product opportunities.

What We’re Looking For

Qualifications

Educational Background

Master's degree or above in Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Computational Chemistry, Bioinformatics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related disciplines.

Industry Experience

5+ years of experience in the life sciences industry with direct involvement in small molecule drug discovery or pharmaceutical R&D.
Deep understanding of the end-to-end drug discovery workflow and familiarity with R&D decision-making processes within pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Hands-on experience in one or more stages of drug discovery, such as Hit Discovery, Hit-to-Lead (H2L), SAR analysis, Lead Optimization, or Preclinical Candidate Selection, is highly desirable.

AI & Data Acumen

Strong understanding of AI applications in drug discovery and the ability to evaluate their scientific and practical value.
Strong data awareness with the ability to translate scientific workflows into scalable AI-powered product capabilities.

Product Mindset & Core Competencies

Strong product thinking with the ability to identify customer pain points and translate them into product opportunities.
Excellent logical thinking, analytical skills, and abstraction ability.
Outstanding communication and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across scientific, engineering, AI, and commercial teams.
Passionate about applying AI technologies to accelerate pharmaceutical R&D.