PhD Student - Macrocycle Drug Discovery (Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry) - 3 years

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In Roche’sPharmaceutical Research and Early Development organization (pRED), we make transformative medicines for patients in order to tackle some of the world’s toughest unmet healthcare needs. At pRED, we are united by our mission to transform science into medicines. Together, we create a culture defined by curiosity, responsibility and humility, where our talented people are empowered and inspired to bring forward extraordinary life-changing innovation at speed.

Your position in pRED at a glance

You will join pRED Basel at the interface between Pharmaceutical Sciences and Small Molecule Research, focussing on predicting properties such as permeability of peptide macrocycles. The position will be mostly located in the ADME group within Pharmaceutical sciences, but will also encompass elements of Computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) and medicinal chemistry. The academic affiliation will be with ETH Zuerich (research group of Prof. S. Riniker).

Project background

The Doctoral Network MC4DD "MC4DD – Macrocycles for Drug Discovery", funded within the framework of the European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), follows an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach by bringing together leading experts in macrocyclic drug discovery from academia and industry from the fields of organic synthesis, medicinal, high-throughput and computational chemistry, pharmacological and structural analytics, and modeling.

Eight academic research groups and five industrial partners, coordinated by Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, join forces in MC4DD to create a mobility and training platform for young scientists by means of cross-site, interdisciplinary research projects. The DCs will work on individual research projects to expand the opportunities of macrocycles as next-generation drug modalities.

More information can be found here.

Key Responsibilities

Your objectives start with the experimental generation of data (e.g. PAMPA) for diverse, representative macrocycles to build novel AI/ML models that can be then used to predict properties of newly designed macrocycles, especially permeability. The overall goal is to increase predictivity of computational methods acting as surrogates for actual assays. This will happen in close alignment with the MC4DD consortium, integrating macrocycles, data and learnings from other affiliated projects.

In the second half of the thesis, the design and generation of novel molecules, based on newly derived design principles, within actual drug discovery projects, is a possibility.

Your Location

This position is based in Basel.

Secondments planned within the framework of the Doctoral Network:

• ETH Zuerich (CH): 3D conformation-based computational methods.

• Uppsala University (SE): Define design principles & experimental analysis of conformation.

Who you are:

• MSc or equivalent in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical or Life Sciences

• Research experience with organic, medicinal, analytical, or biochemistry (physchem assays) essential, with profound molecular thinking and a distinct sense for chemical structures

• Solid hands on experience with most common analytical chemistry methods (LCMS etc.)

• Basic understanding of pharmacokinetics and ADME concept desirable

• Interest in computational sciences and cheminformatics desirable, basic understanding of AI/ML approaches of advantage.

In addition to your scientific expertise and critical technical skills, we are looking for candidates that are:

• Self-organized and independency critical to perform in a matrixed organization, proactive drive and comfortable to work across fields and departments.

• Appreciation for interdisciplinarity and outstanding academic record.

• Scientific interest, dedication to hands-on research, and career goal to work in drug discovery.

• Excellent written communication and presentations skills with a high fluency in English

• Thrive in a dynamic, inclusive environment which gives you full accountability for your own contributions and development; Have a keen interest in continuously building a personal network that fosters relationships and reciprocity;

For further applicability criteria within the MSCA consortium, see details here:LINK

Our commitment

Roche commits to recognising talent and aptitude. We prioritize encouraging and supporting our employees on their personal journeys by providing a safe, creative space to help them reflect, make decisions and grow in their career.

We are confident that we find the most innovative solutions by gaining different perspectives, asking and answering hard questions, and challenging the status quo.Roche embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious yet enthusiastic way; we are devoted to building a team that represents a range of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Basel is the headquarters of the Roche Group and one of its most important centres of pharmaceutical research. Over 10,700 employees from over 100 countries come together at our Basel/Kaiseraugst site, which is one of Roche`s largest sites. Read more.

Besides extensive development and training opportunities, we offer flexible working options, 18 weeks of maternity leave and 10 weeks of gender independent partnership leave. Our employees also benefit from multiple services on site such as child-care facilities, medical services, restaurants and cafeterias, as well as various employee events.

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and strive to identify and create opportunities that enable all people to bring their unique selves to Roche.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.