Research Associate in Biocatalysis and Medicinal Chemistry

Job description

A Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position has become available for a talented and enthusiastic postdoctoral scientist to work on a project aimed at developing biocatalytic platforms for Early Drug Discovery under the supervision of Dr Godwin Aleku.  

The post-holder will work on developing high-throughput enzymatic synthesis system to generate focused compound libraries; and to perform in vitro pharmacological screening of these libraries against biological targets with the aim of identifying potent inhibitors for subsequent structure activity relationship studies.  

The successful candidate will work in the group of Dr Godwin Aleku, within the Medicinal Chemistry/Drug Discovery Interest Group based at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  

You should have a PhD (or have submitted their thesis) in Chemistry/Chemical Biology/Medicinal Chemistry/Biochemistry/Pharmacology with a proven track record of working with enzymes/enzymatic transformations/biotransformation, HT assay development and analytical methods of monitoring enzymatic reactions.  

Applicants from all sections of the community regardless of ethnicity, age, sex, gender, disability, and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply. Appointment to this post will be made on merit. 

For an informal discussion on this role please contact Dr Godwin Aleku via email at godwin.aleku@kcl.ac.uk  

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for  24 months 

This is a full-time

Key responsibilities

• Conduct individual and collaborative research projects in line with the research vision of the group.  
• Analyse and write up research work for publication. 
• Regularly update knowledge and understanding in the field. 
• Provide training and support to postgraduate students. 
• Attend and contribute to relevant meetings. 
• Plan and manage own research activity in collaboration with others. 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.      A PhD (equivalent) in Chemistry/Chemical Biology/Medicinal Chemistry/Biocatalysis/Biochemistry/Pharmacology or a related subject 

2.      Practical experience working with assay development. 

3.      Experience with molecular biology. 

4.      Experience with enzyme expression and characterization. 

5.      Experience with development of biocatalytic reactions. 

6.      Experience of analytical chemistry and spectroscopic techniques for monitoring reactions e.g. UV/Vis absorbance/fluorescence, HPLC/LCMS and GC/GCMS, NMR. 

7.      Ability to work collaboratively within a team and to work independently, with minimal supervision. 

8.      Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to learn new skills quickly. 

9.       Experience with scientific manuscript writing. 

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience in Organic Synthesis 

2.      Experience with Directed Evolution of enzymes 

3.      Experience with pharmacological screening of drug targets. 

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further information

Communication & Networking:    

• Deal with routine communication using a range of media   
• Communicate complex information orally and in writing   
• Communicate material of a specialist or highly technical nature   
• Liaise with colleagues and students   
• Build internal contacts and participate in internal networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration   
• Join external networks to share information and identify potential sources of funds   

Decision Making, Planning and Problem Solving:   

• Use new research techniques and methods   
• Identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio   
• Contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues in area of research   
• Service Delivery:   
• Respond to requests for information in accordance with College policies   
• Provide advice with respect to own areas of expertise   
• Set the standards of service and ensure overall quality is maintained   

Analysis & Research:   

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with the assistance of a mentor   
• Conduct individual and collaborative research projects   
• Write up research work for publication   
• Maintain knowledge, expertise, and awareness of relevant research literature by self-directed enquiry and continuing education   
• Translate knowledge of advances in the area of expertise into research activity   
• Analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes and what they   

Teamwork, Teaching & Learning Support:   

• Work with colleagues on joint projects as required   
• Collaborate with academic colleagues on areas of shared research interest   
• Attend and contribute to relevant meetings   
• Contribution to the supervision or training of more junior staff and students as necessary   
• Contribution to laboratory maintenance and administration.