PLRS- Pharmacology Expert

Employer Francis Crick Institute Location London (Central), London (Greater) (GB) Salary From £58,000 with benefits, depending on skills and experience Closing date 26 May 2024

Reports to: Head of Chemical Biology STP

This is a full-time, permanent position on Crick terms and conditions of employment

Overview

The position is within the Chemical Biology Science and Technology Platform (STP), a newly formed and expanding interdisciplinary group, at the Francis Crick Institute. Is it also closely aligned with the High Throughput Screening STP and will involve leading the development of compound profiling approaches for tractability evaluation and tool, probe and drug discovery projects, requiring input from the two groups.

The Chemical Biology STP collaborates with researchers at the Crick to apply chemistry to explore biological questions, working at the cutting edge of biomedical science in disciplines such as cancer, infectious disease, immunology, neurology, and developmental biology. Our research focuses on the design, synthesis and application of chemical probes and tools to explore the function and disease-relevance of proteins, pathways and phenotypes, paving the way to translating biological insights into clinical impact.

The HTS STP provides researchers with access to the specialised knowledge and infrastructure to undertake large-scale screening as part of their discovery research.This usually takes the form of arrayed screens using siRNA, CRISPR and chemogenomic reagents primarily in cell-based assays with high content imaging readouts. However, with the advent of the Chemical Biology STP, there is the opportunity to expand the horizons of what is possible for researchers to undertake at the Crick.

Role Summary

We are seeking a creative and driven pharmacology expert, with deep expertise in a range of in vitro assays technologies and their application in early drug discovery projects. The position is embedded within the Chemical Biology and HTS STPs and will draw on the expertise and capability to be found in both groups. The successful candidate will establish state of the art screening approaches for the identification and optimisation of chemical modulators of protein targets, along with strategies for linking their mechanism of action to treatment of disease. This role presents the opportunity to profoundly influence translational science at the crick, both in lab-based contributions as pharmacology/assay lead on early drug discovery teams and in the provision of pharmacology and drug discovery consultancy on nascent translational projects.

Key responsibilities will include;

• Work closely with STP leadership (including Chemical Biology, HTS, Structural Biology, Proteomics, NMR) to establish state-of-the-art cross-STP screening approaches for hit identification, validation and optimisation against novel targets; establish suitable assay technologies that enable the selection of potential probes and therapeutics.
• Apply these approaches in Crick translational projects, advising on screening strategy for new targets and supporting the development of relevant assays for compound screening.
• Where appropriate, build relationships with CROs to expand access to novel assay capabilities.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary drug discovery teams as pharmacology/assay lead, taking accountability for the development of complex biological assays and the elucidation of mechanism of action.
• Where appropriate, take on overall project leadership of drug discovery activities in these teams.
• Demonstrate scientific leadership through acting as assay area expert; stay abreast of the latest literature and developments in the field; propose and drive technology projects that optimise/modernise the current drug discovery process.
• Raise the profile of the STP and Crick translational science by publishing and presenting internally and externally.
• Train, mentor and, where appropriate, line manage less experienced scientists working in assay development and compound screening.
• Support the recruitment of assay scientists into inter-disciplinary teams for early drug discovery projects.
• Make broad contributions to translational science at the Crick, working closely with the translation team to provide pharmacology and drug discovery expertise on nascent translational projects.

Key experience and competencies

The post holder should embody and demonstrate our core Crick values: Bold, Open, and Collegial, in addition to the following:

• PhD (or equivalent experience level) in a biochemistry, cell biology or other relevant subject area.
• Deep knowledge of pharmacological principles and the ability to interpret quantitative data sets from compound profiling experiments.
• A strong track record in the design and development of in vitro biochemical assays in a drug discovery context, utilising multiple technologies.
• Knowledge and/or demonstrated experience in the design and development of cell-based assays, across multiple cell types and utilising multiple technologies.
• Experience of using laboratory automation for compound screening in an industrial setting and software solutions for complex data analysis.
• Proven ability to demonstrate leadership capability and skills in own area of scientific expertise.
• Excellent communication skills within a research environment, building highly effective working relationships with team and collaborators.
• Learning agility, initiative and drive; demonstrated ability to quickly develop new skills and gain an understanding of unfamiliar scientific areas.
• Broad knowledge of strategies to validate assay relevance to disease.
• In depth knowledge of at least one therapeutic area and a proven track record of leading and influencing scientific research.
• Practical experience in the characterisation of isolated targets, which could include compound/inhibitor mechanism studies and catalytic mechanism determination.
• Experience with multi-parametric cellular detection systems such as high-content imaging, flow cytometry, high-throughput sandwich immunoassays.
• Experience of industry-academia partnering and/or IP.
• An awareness of Medicinal Chemistry principles for the selection, design and optimisation of small molecule chemical probes for use in a cellular and/or an in vivo context.

Closing date for applications – Sunday 26th May 2024

Interviews will be held w/c 10 th June and 17th June 2024

Find out what benefits the Crick has to offer:

We welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, pregnancy, age, disability, or civil partnership, marital or family status. We particularly welcome applications from people who are Minority Ethnic as they are currently underrepresented in the Crick at this level.

Diversity is essential to excellence in scientific endeavour. It increases breadth and perspective, leading to more innovation and creativity. We want the Crick to be a place where everyone feels valued and where diversity is celebrated and seen as part of the foundation for our Institute’s success.

The Crick is committed to creating equality of opportunity and promoting diversity and inclusivity. We all share in the responsibility to actively promote dignity, respect, inclusivity and equal treatment and it is our aim to ensure that these principles are reflected and implemented in all strategies, policies and practices.

Visit this company’s hub to learn about their values, culture, and latest jobs.

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.