Postdoctoral Fellow In Medicinal Chemistry

Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science

Department: Chemistry

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Supervisors: Prof. Cheryl Arrowsmith and Prof. Robert Batey

Overview:

Medicinal chemistry postdoctoral position(s) are available immediately under the co-supervision of Prof. Cheryl Arrowsmith and Prof. Robert Batey at the University of Toronto. The candidate will work at the Department of Chemistry and in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team at the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) at the University of Toronto to develop chemical probes for novel targets of interest. This project is part of the Acceleration Consortium's ‘self-driving lab’ (SDL) research to accelerate materials and drug discovery assisted by AI and automation. The position will involve helping to build a ‘hit to lead’ SDL using parallel high throughput synthesis of novel small molecules that will be tested in automated high throughput biological/biophysical assays of the target protein conducted within the Structural Genomics Consortium and guided by AI and automation specialists in the Acceleration Consortium.

The successful candidate will join a vibrant multi-disciplinary academic research group consisting of biochemists, structure biologists, cell biologists, and computational and medicinal chemists.

Desired Experience:

• PhD obtained within the last 5 years in synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or related field.
• Basic knowledge of key concepts in parallel chemistry / biochemistry/ pharmacology/ drug discovery is an asset.
• Expertise and experience in standard techniques of synthetic organic chemistry required.
• Strong interpersonal skills and exceptional motivation for contributing to collaborative cutting-edge new technology.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to apply for a MITACS Accelerate award, to enhance their training and marketability in today’s interdisciplinary workforce.

Interested candidates, please send a CV and cover letter to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Postdoctoral Position in Medicinal Chemistry’.

About us:

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) is a global public-private partnership, with head offices in Toronto. Dedicated to open science, the SGC accelerates the discovery of new medicines through generation of new knowledge, data and research tools and reagents for human and viral genes and proteins. This highly successful collaboration among a large network of scientists in academia and industry allows for all research outputs to be openly available to the scientific community. The SGC has approximately 200 scientists in six major research universities in Canada, the United States, and Europe, with the largest site located at the University of Toronto. Our partners include eight global pharmaceutical companies, government funding organizations and foundations. The SGC-Toronto lab resides within the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine, a global leader in ground-breaking research and education, spanning basic discovery and translational science and clinical medicine.

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto is part of the Faculty of Arts and Science. Located in the heart of Toronto as part of the St. George Campus, the department is home to over 30 research faculty and approximately 250 grad students and PDFs. The department has a wide variety of services including state-of-the-art NMR, Mass Spectrometry, and X-Ray facilities for small-molecule analysis.

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) based in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization.  The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs).  These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy and consumer electronics to drugs.    AC Scientists are advancing the field of AI-driven autonomous discovery to develop the materials and molecules required to address society’s largest challenges, such as climate change, water pollution, and future pandemics. This project is part of the Acceleration Consortium’s Canada First Research Excellence Award to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University. This award will provide the Acceleration Consortium with seven years of funding to execute its vision.

FTE: 100%. The normal hours of work are 40 hours per week for a full-time postdoctoral fellow (pro-rated for those holding a partial appointment) recognizing that the needs of the employee’s research and training and the needs of the supervisor’s research program may require flexibility in the performance of the employee’s duties and hours of work. Employment as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto is covered by the terms of the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement. This job is posted in accordance with the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement.

Diversity Statement: The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.

Accessibility Statement: The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodation as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodation at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact [email protected].