Postdoctoral Fellow – Design of Pro-Groups for Covalent Modalities

Postdoctoral Fellow – Design of Pro-Groups for Covalent Modalities

Whitechapel, London

Competitive Salary, Bonus & Benefits

Introduction to role:

Do you have expertise in, and passion for medicinal chemistry and drug delivery? Would you like to apply your knowledge to impact drug discovery projects in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? Then join the Oncology Targeted Discovery team at AstraZeneca and unlock the power of what science can do! In this exciting Postdoctoral Fellow position, you’ll design, synthesise and profile novel pro-groups for the masking of covalent functionality, and seek to apply the developed motifs to representative molecules for proof-of-concept validation. You will subsequently look to translate the strategy to probe the delivery of relevant compounds by new and emerging modalities.

This project is supported by the Tumour Targeted Delivery group that works across AstraZeneca’s oncology antibody drug conjugate portfolio, to transform drug delivery and bring better medicines to our patients. This project will conduct groundbreaking research in the development of new chemical strategies to enable the targeted delivery of challenging compound classes. Our Postdoc will collaborate with expert AZ interdisciplinary scientists with a diverse set of backgrounds, and an outstanding academic mentor specifically aligned to the project. Supported by Ben Graham, Senior Scientist at AstraZeneca, you'll also receive academic mentorship and guidance from Prof. Gonçalo Bernardes, Professor of Chemical Biology, University of Cambridge.

This is a 3-year programme.

Accountabilities:

Our Postdoctoral Fellow will employ synthetic chemistry and chemical biology tools to identify and prioritise suitable masking ‘pro-groups’ for reactive functionalities, and seek to apply them to model compounds of interest. You will further assess their viability in biological and in-vitro systems and explore the application of the motifs to payloads for delivery via new and emerging modalities.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develop novel chemistries, rationally designing and synthesising pro-groups for the masking of covalent motifs

• Carry out validation studies through biochemical and in vitro assays and protein labelling experiments

• Synthesis of novel payloads and linker-payloads for application as antibody drug conjugates

• Build independent scientific leadership and research skills, drive the project forward under the supervision of a cross-functional AstraZeneca team and in collaboration with the academic mentor

• Plan, write and publish high-quality scientific manuscripts and present work at external and internal meetings, conferences and seminars

Essential Skills/Experience:

• PhD degree in synthetic organic or medicinal chemistry

• Curiosity about working with new modalities; such as PROTACs, peptide and/or antibody drug conjugates

• Ability to collaborate and work optimally in a multi-disciplinary research environment

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Our Postdoc programme is aimed at individuals with a strong publication record who are either:

• Within 5-years of acquiring their doctoral degree (PhD, DVM, or MD) - PhD already awarded, or

• Students, soon to acquire doctoral degrees (the PhD must be awarded within 6 months of joining AstraZeneca).

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Experience of, or a keen interest in: chemical biology, biochemical assays/protein labelling and computational modelling techniques

• Knowledge of current principles and concepts in physical organic chemistry

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we ignite bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and bold world.

Work with a diverse set of minds, all united by a shared passion to learn, grow and discover. Join our unrivalled scientific community that fuses academia and industry. We work seamlessly and inclusively together. Playing to each of our strengths, celebrating successes and learning from the best. Adopt the exposure to build a substantial career. Internally we are a varied community with women leaders in 45% of senior roles. Externally we have 475 pre-clinical collaborations in over 26 countries worldwide. In addition, we have established a collaborative research initiative that brings together seven of the world's foremost oncology medical centres, to expedite research in some of the hardest-to-treat cancers.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now!

AZ’s Postdoc Programme: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/postdocs-astrazeneca

Life at AstraZeneca: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/life-at-astrazeneca

This is what we’re made of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmFx_jr2eFo&t=2s