Address
Form of work
Salary:
Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum
Research Associate: £33,966 to £38,205 per annum
Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Closing Date: 28 February 2024
The Role
This role offers an exciting opportunity for a synthetic organic chemist to apply their skills to Medicinal Chemistry through the design and synthesis of compounds for biological testing and development of new approaches to Medicinal Chemistry as part of the Newcastle University Cancer Drug Discovery Group.
The role will also provide the opportunity to learn and develop Medicinal Chemistry skills as applied to drug design. For a Research Associate, the role is ideal for someone who has, or is about to be awarded, a PhD in organic or Medicinal Chemistry and would like to gain experience of drug discovery. For a Research Assistant, it will be suited to a candidate with an outstanding Master’s degree in chemistry and who is looking for a laboratory-based Medicinal Chemistry career. It will provide excellent experience for a future career in academic or industrial Medicinal Chemistry research.
Based in the Medicinal Chemistry Section of the Newcastle University Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery Unit, working with Prof. Mike Waring, you will join a vibrant multidisciplinary group of chemists, bioscientists and structural biologists working at the forefront of anti-cancer drug discovery with an excellent track record of successfully bringing new cancer medicines to market.
The focus of the role will be to contribute across projects both in Medicinal Chemistry optimisation and in developing new, broadly applicable approaches to hit generation and optimisation including fragment and DNA-encoded methods.
The Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit is a founder member of Cancer Research Horizons – Therapeutic Innovation (CRH-TI), CRUK’s exciting new vehicle dedicated to translating basic research into patient benefit. To learn more about CRH-TI, click here, and to learn more about our approach to small molecule drug discovery in Newcastle, click here
There are two positions available and both roles are full-time, fixed term (for 12 months) in the first instance.
The estimated start date is April 2024 but there is some flexibility.
Informal enquiries can be made to Mike Waring, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, at the e-mail address: mike.waring@ncl.ac.uk
Applications should be made through the Newcastle University jobs portal: https://jobs.ncl.ac.uk, where you are invited to provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria required for the role outlined in ‘The Person’ by uploading a letter of application along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Key Accountabilities
• Synthesis of target molecules for biological testing
• Development of optimised synthetic routes to target compounds
• The purification and characterisation of target compounds
• Contributions to Medicinal Chemistry design
• Regular liaison with the Principal Investigator to organise workload and the provision of support for the satisfactory operation of research activities, facilities and equipment
• Working with colleagues to deliver team goals
• Training and mentoring of students on specific experimental techniques and in the use of specialised laboratory equipment
• Communication of results both orally, informal presentation and written documents
• Excellent laboratory record keeping of all experimental procedures and outcomes, enabling interpretation by other team members
• Risk assessments and maintenance of safety laboratory records (e.g. COSHH and other regulations) in consultation with academic staff
• Responsibility for the care and cleanliness of laboratories
• Participation in and contribute to the development of a vibrant research culture within the School
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• Expert experience in synthetic organic chemistry, synthetic methods, route design and characterisation
• Expertise in a wide range of analytical techniques including NMR
• Experience of managing safety aspects of work (e.g. COSHH)
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to present to internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent organisation and planning
Desirable
• Experience of Medicinal Chemistry
• A track record of successful, high quality, publications
• Experience of laboratory supervision of students (PhD, MSc, BSc)
• Expertise in computational chemistry e.g. modelling
• Familiarity with chemical database software
Attributes and Behaviour
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Enthusiastic, with a strong work ethic
• A demonstrated commitment to ensuring our institutional strategy for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) is embedded in all our research group activities, with a commitment to ensuring dignity and respect in the workplace to the highest standard
Qualifications
• A PhD awarded in the area of organic or Medicinal Chemistry or similar subject (essential for Research Associate).
• An undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry or a relevant science subject
• Relevant experience in a research laboratory
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 26689
