Post-Doc, Computational Pharmaceutics, Product Design & dev.

Would you like to be part of a research project at AstraZeneca and have expertise in molecular dynamics simulations? Do you want to help understand and predict drug formulation properties in close collaboration with experimentalists? Then we got the role for you!



We offer an exciting opportunity to join the Product Design and Development Team within Inhalation Product Development (IPD) as a Post-Doctoral Researcher for a total period of 2 years.



AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company where we turn ideas into life changing medicines and strive to meet the unmet needs of patients worldwide. We are proud to be a great place to work and have a culture that inspires innovation and collaboration. We empower our colleagues to express diverse perspectives and at the same time feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their ideas and creativity.



Pharmaceutical Technology & Development (PT&D) is a global function tasked with design, development, commercialization and support of AstraZeneca's medicines and reports to the EVP of Operations. Inhalation Product Development in Gothenburg sits within PT&D, and we are responsible for the development of inhalation products including combinations.



What you'll do

This role involves close collaboration with internal AstraZeneca modelling experts, as well as with external Academic partners and leaders in field of modelling and experimental framework applied to complex pharmaceuticals. The aim is to increase molecular understanding in complex amorphous solid dispersed formulation containing proteins and explore the mobility and dynamics of such systems using computational models in order to complement the experimental activity.



You will be working in a real product world environment which will allow you to find opportunities, improve the use of existing computational platforms and build bridges to accelerate the transformation from discovery to product realisation. Through innovative thinking, you are able to create a vision and implement solutions in the field, as well as actively contributing to research proposals and collaborations.



Key Responsibilities

* Use molecular modelling to design and understand formulated drug products and delivery systems. This will cover solid amorphous systems, complex solid dispersions, formulated peptides with diverse functional excipients.
* Define ambitious research project plans, working with the team for focus realization, progressing execution of simulations, monitoring, and communicating towards goals.
* Develop proof-of-concept models and workflows to transform realization of novel peptide formulations.
* Explore new modelling approaches to address the complex interplay between pharmaceutical ingredients in a formulated product and publish your novel science.
* Work collaboratively with colleagues in other functions and contribute to the optimization of experimental work to complement in silico models.
* Tackle sophisticated scientific problems and provide lean and innovative solutions.



Essential Requirements

For this role we want you to have a proven track record of delivering projects and demonstrate high level of responsibility for leading those to success. It is expected to provide strategic input during execution of this project, progressing acceptance of transformative options with other researchers. As an expert communicator, you provide recommendations, plans and disseminate results and novel modeling approaches to community peers.

* PhD level education in Computational Chemistry, Physics, Solid State Biology, Biophysics, or a relevant subject area.
* Experience of applying molecular modelling to drug like molecules, proteins or other similar organic molecules.
* An excellent understanding of principles of physical chemistry related to solid state of amorphous systems.
* Knowledge of scripting languages such as Perl, Python or BASH. Experience working in Unix/Linux environments and High-performance computing (HPC). Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to discuss complex ideas in a simple, easy to understand way.
* A proven track record of working collaboratively in a team environment to deliver project objectives.
* Actively seeks out innovative approaches and new scientific advances in the field, using internal and external networks.



Preferred Requirements

* Knowledge of protein molecule dynamics, and processing of protein solution into solid state for generating amorphous protein formulation.
* Knowledge of bio-chemical and bio-physical degradations in amorphous glass materials, especially on the role of excipients in local stabilization involving beta relaxation including formulation matrix dynamics.
* Good chemistry, thermodynamic and solid-state knowledge to improve end-to-end software applied to complex solid state systems using e.g. programs such as Gromacs, VASP, CP2K, Materials Studio, CCDC suite, Schrödinger package or equivalent is beneficial. Good knowledge of Python programming, and scripting.
* Experience or knowledge in, at least, one of these extra methods: free energy calculation, QM/MM, enhanced sampling methods or force field development.



So, what's next If you're passionate about the possibilities of science, want to make a difference and ready to discover what we can do together, then we encourage your application tough no later than June 15th, 2023!