At UCB everything we do starts with a simple question: “How will this make a difference to the lives of people living with severe diseases?” We do that by connecting with patients and their families around the world living with the physical and social burdens of severe disease of the immune system and the central nervous system. Those connections offer new perspectives, drive innovation, and offer the hope of a new generation of therapies that will help to transform lives.

Role Overview

We are seeking an exceptional candidate to join our Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) team within Global Chemistry to drive the discovery of new therapeutic candidates using targeted protein degradation. This position can be located either in our UK research site in Slough, our Belgian research site in Braine-l’Alleud or our US research site in Bedford, MA, USA.

Primary Responsibilities

Independently design and execute computational experiments in a timely manner to drive the application of targeted protein degradation technology to therapeutic projects.

Be proactive in anticipating project needs, contributing strategy and driving project progression from target evaluation to lead-optimisation.

Drive innovation and new technology, bringing in external science and methodology and developing new ways of working internally at UCB.

Contribute to scientific discussions and present data at internal meetings and external scientific conferences.

Contribute to the maintenance of a safe and effective working environment by setting high personal standards and complying with all Company HSE codes of practice.

Create effective working relationships within the global chemistry and UCB matrix working environment via influencing and networking.

Demonstrate high level of entrepreneurship and foster a can-do and can-win attitude.

Drive own professional development for continuous improvement of knowledge and skills. Mentor less experienced colleagues. Help to create a teamwork environment.

Essential Requirements

A PhD in molecular modelling or a related field is required with a good publications track record.

Experience of structure-based or ligand-based small molecule design.

Experience in programming languages such as C++ and/or Python.

Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing, and skilled in communicating scientific concepts through data visualization.

Desired skills and experience

Experience in drug-ability and target evaluation.

Experience in targeted protein degradation.

Application of advanced statistics.

Knowledge of advanced molecular simulations approaches (examples of these packages are AMBER, GROMACS, ACEMD, NAMD, SIRE, Plumed, Desmond) and examples of applications to protein-ligand and protein-protein binding.

Development of advanced cheminformatics protocols using KNIME/PipelinePilot or coding toolkits such as RDkit, CDK or OpenEye.

Understanding of modern medicinal chemistry.

Familiarity with screening and assay design.

Interested individuals should apply online on UCB website and include the following items:

• A cover letter outlining research interests and experience as well as career goals
• Expected availability/notice period