Postdoc Fellow: Computational chemist: RNA molecular modelling

Gothenburg, Sweden

Do you have expertise in or passion for, computational chemistry? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact the in-silico design of small molecules targeting RNA in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then this postdoc position at AstraZeneca might be the one for you!



About AstraZeneca:

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-centred biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing, and commercialising prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious diseases. But we're more than a global leading pharmaceutical company. At AstraZeneca, we're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work and empowering employees to push the boundaries of science and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit. There's no better place to make a difference in medicine, patients, and society.



About the Postdoc Programme:

Bring your expertise, apply your knowledge, follow the science, and make a difference. AstraZeneca's Postdoc Programme is for self-motivated individuals looking to deliver exciting, high-impact projects in an encouraging, engaging and innovative environment. You'll work with multidisciplinary scientific teams from a diverse set of backgrounds and a world-class academic mentor specifically aligned to your project. Our postdocs are respected as specialists, encouraged to speak up, and supported to share their research at conferences, publish papers, achieve their goals, and make a difference to our patients.

This is a 3-year programme, with an initial 2-year period and a 1-year merit-based extension.



About the Opportunity:

The main therapeutic area is Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism (CVRM) although the postdoc project itself is relevant for all the functional areas in AstraZeneca. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, this research project provides you with an exciting opportunity to apply computational chemistry techniques to develop small molecules targeting RNA. The main goal is to develop new in-silico capabilities to model and design new RNA's small molecules binders.

You will lead the project under the supervision of Giuseppina La Sala (Computational Chemist, Medicinal Chemistry); as well as, Anders Hogner (Senior Director, Medicinal Chemistry) at AstraZeneca. You will also receive academic guidance and mentorship from Professor Matthew Disney (Scripps Research Institute, Florida). This is a great opportunity to interact with multidisciplinary teams inside AstraZeneca early drug discovery units and with key external collaborators. In addition, you will be supported in delivering internal seminars, presenting at scientific conferences to highlight progresses, and publish in peer-reviewed journals.



Qualification, Skills & Experience:

Essential Requirements

* PhD in Computational Chemistry, Computational Biophysics, Computational Medicinal Chemistry, Bioinformatics, or a relevant field
* Experience with molecular modelling and docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, free energy calculations and enhanced sampling
* Experience with computational chemistry packages and platforms, such as Schrödinger, MOE, Gromacs, and NAMD

Desirable Requirements

* Understanding of RNA medicinal chemistry
* Experience with RNA modelling, RNA force field development and validation approaches
* Knowledge of RNA secondary and tertiary structure prediction methodologies
* Familiarity with ML/AI techniques
* Experience with coding in Python, R, or other programming languages
* Excellent analytical and synthetic capabilities
* Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with other scientists
* Passion for innovation and problem-solving



Ready for an exciting, rewarding challenge? Good, because we can´t wait to hear from you!



Where Can I find out more?

Our Gothenburg site: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/sweden

AstraZeneca's Postdoc Programme: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/postdocs-astrazeneca

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



Advert Opens: October 6th 2022

Advert Closes: November 10th 2022