Co-Op Student, Medicinal Chemistry

Company Description
Zymeworks is a publicly listed (NASDAQ:ZYME) clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation, biospecific and multifunctional biotherapeutics, initially focused on the treatment of cancer. Zymeworks' suite of complementary therapeutic platforms and its fully-integrated drug development engine provide the flexibility and compatibility to precisely engineer and develop highly-differentiated product candidates.
About The Position
We are currently seeking a co-op student to join the Medicinal Chemistry team. The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the generation of target molecules through synthetic chemistry. The successful co-op student will frequently be challenged to critically analyze results and contribute to the Zymeworks team effort to create best-in-class therapeutics. This position reports to a Scientist in the Medicinal Chemistry group and will be based in Vancouver, BC.
Key Responsbilities
The Student Is Expected To Participate In The Generation Of New Drugs And Drug-linkers For Evaluation As Potential Antibody-drug Conjugate Platform Technologies

• Monitors reaction progress using HPLC-MS and TLC
• Characterizes isolated materials to confirm structure and purity (NMR, HPLC-MS)
• Reproduces or adapts established synthetic procedures to transform chemical species into target payloads, intermediates, and drug-linkers
• Conducts all activities in accordance with scientific standards, OS&H regulations and established Zymeworks policies and practices
• Adheres to Zymeworks standard procedures for generating, documenting, and archiving data, maintaining an accurate, up-to-date electronic notebook
• Uses appropriate purification techniques (wet work-up, flash chromatography, prep-HPLC-MS) to isolate desired chemical products
• Performs experiments, interprets, and analyzes data, and prepares presentations for group meetings
• Contributes to a safe and highly efficient laboratory environment through ordering of consumables, regular maintenance of reagent inventory, preparation of solutions, stocking of consumables, and maintaining a clean working environment
• Administrative duties such as contributing to the chemical inventory system

Education And Experience
Currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in Chemistry and successful completion of Organic Chemistry courses (I and II or equivalent) with lab. Availability for an 8-month co-op term is required.
Skills And Abilities

• Good computer skills particularly with MS Office suite and ChemOffice (ChemDraw)
• Proven interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively as a member of cross-functional team. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
• Excellent oral and written communication capabilities
• Experience with multi-step synthetic chemistry over and above the teaching lab is required
• Experience with characterization of small molecules using NMR and HPLC-MS and some familiarity with operating these instruments outside of the teaching lab is required
• Good organizational skills and the ability to work effectively in a high-paced, fast-changing environment. Results-oriented mindset

Why Work for Us?
Innovation. Act with Integrity. Collaboration. Embrace Diversity. Care
We come from many countries, cultures, races, ethnicities, abilities, and nationalities. We bring our passions including singing, biking, swimming, dancing, cooking, volunteering, parenting, coaching, and much more! We are proud of our nearly equal balance of men and women and strengthened by our non-binary and transgender team members. Every employee belongs.
Zymeworks’ employees are passionate, engaged and extremely motivated to succeed. We are excited by the cutting-edge science and technology, the endless possibilities this union holds and the sheer opportunity to be a part of something big. To learn more about Zymeworks Inc., please visit our website at www.zymeworks.com.
How To Apply
If you are interested in this challenging opportunity, please apply via the University’s co-op program process.