Research Associate in Synthetic Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery Supervision

We are seeking a synthetic medicinal chemist to deliver research project supervision as an integral part of Imperial’s MRes in Drug Discovery and Development, in collaboration with Professor Ed Tate, and Dr Anna Barnard and Dr Louise Walport (MRes co-Directors). This includes training and supervision in all aspects of project development, ligand design and synthetic chemistry, assisting with preparation of assessed work, and MRes course development.

In addition, you will be responsible for safety oversight and training in synthetic medicinal chemistry in the multidisciplinary research group of Professor Tate, including research support, maintaining a safe and productive working environment in accordance with health & safety procedures, and aspects of group management.

This role involves a high degree of teamwork, support, and supervision of multidisciplinary research, with a focus on synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. You will be involved in a wide range of ongoing research projects with both internal and external collaborators, providing multiple opportunities to develop skills in research leadership, supervision, teaching, course development and research dissemination.

More information about the MRes in Drug Discovery and Development : Multidisciplinary Science for Next Generation Therapeutics can be found here :

Your role will be to drive discovery and development of novel medicinal chemistry methods in support of students on various drug campaigns. You will work in support of the Tate, Barnard and Walport research groups to aid in design and execution of new synthetic exploration. This will include both supervision and collaboration with colleagues at Imperial and the Drug Discovery Hub. Further details will be discussed in confidence with shortlisted candidates.

The Tate, Barnard and Walport groups are culturally diverse and highly multidisciplinary, with project teams encompassing scientists at all levels of experience and from a variety of backgrounds (chemical biology, cell biology, proteomics, cancer biology, drug discovery, . Candidates are expected to take responsibility to drive and support projects, co-lead collaborative teams, and engage in co-supervision of Master and PhD level students. We are looking for candidates who can thrive in this dynamic and creative environment and take optimal advantage of the many training opportunities it provides.

Essential criteria for the role include :

• Hold, or near completion of, a PhD in medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, or a closely related chemistry field, or equivalent level of professional qualifications and experience
• Strong track record in medicinal chemistry, consistent with experience
• Competence in design and execution of synthetic strategies, including analysis and purification
• Ability to supervise students from a wide range of backgrounds in synthetic chemistry / drug discovery.

Desirable experience for this role includes one or more of the following : Prior experience in management of a synthetic chemistry lab and health and safety related to synthetic chemistry work would be an advantage, peptide synthesis and purification, as would hands-on experience in molecular modelling to support ligand design (. MoE, Schrodinger, .

You will join the world-leading Department of Chemistry at Imperial, which recently moved to new state-of-the art research facilities in the Molecular Sciences Research Hub at the Imperial White City Campus. This has allowed significant expansion of our research activities, including in medicinal chemistry, cell and chemical biology, and brings together molecular sciences research across the College and external partners to tackle global grand challenges. The Department of Chemistry proudly holds an Gold Award and strives to provide a working environment where all our staff feel fully supported to flourish and excel.

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