Scientist Computational Chemistry

SCIENTIST - COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY

Founded in Birmingham in 1941, Southern Research is a non-profit, scientific research organization that employs a staff of 250 scientists and professionals. In its 80-year legacy of moving science, the organization has helped shape modern cancer treatment practices, including developing seven FDA-approved cancer drugs and testing more than half of active chemotherapies in the United States. Southern Research has conducted more than $30 million in coronavirus research over the past two years, including collaborations on a COVID-19 vaccine currently in clinical trials, and thousands of PCR tests to refine the underlying chemistry of critical treatments. The organization is the highest NIH-funded, non-academic research center in Alabama and has a $150 million annual economic impact.

Southern Research transforms ideas into innovation, and innovation into jobs and economic opportunity. The organization recently unveiled a new strategic plan centered on making Birmingham and Alabama national biotech centers of excellence in partnership with regional academic institutions, policymakers, educators and economic development organizations.

As Southern Research invests in new business lines and grows its core scientific capabilities, the Scientist - Computational Chemistry will work in the computer-aided drug discovery lab (CADD) within the Chemistry department of the Scientific Platforms division and be responsible for providing computational chemistry support in the planning, designing, and conducting of highly technical and complex research projects working with a Principal Investigator. Additionally this position will analyze research data, provide interpretations, contribute to the development of research documentation for publications and/or provide reports, papers, and/or records.

To fill this position Southern Research is looking for an energetic and nimble executor who thinks critically and effectively collaborates with internal and externa stakeholders. If you have experience applying computational chemistry methods, and have demonstrated strong analytical, problem-solving skills, and scientific creativity we want to meet you.

Duties & Responsibilities of the Position

• Works with other computational scientists using commercial modeling software (or open-source platforms) to apply or develop in silico approaches for drug discovery such as machine learning (ML) models.
• Responsible for providing research and technical support to one or more Principal Investigators
• Participates in drug discovery projects on a multidisciplinary team including chemists, biologists, and high throughput screening experts.
• Generates, interprets, and communicates in silico data with project teams along with opportunities for manuscript publication and conference presentations.
• May work independently on projects as well as under the mentorship of another computational scientist.
• Contributes to grant applications and to publications derived from project data
• Operates and maintains scientific equipment and learns new instrumental techniques
• Maintains external awareness of scientific discipline through familiarity with current scientific literature
• Develops resolutions to an assortment of problems of moderately complex scope.
• Attends technical staff and departmental meetings.
• Observes appropriate safety and study requirements by reading, understanding and following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and study protocols.

Requirements/Minimum Qualifications

• Education and experience:
  • BS in Chemistry or related discipline and 7 to 10 years of laboratory experience performing computational chemistry; or
  • MS in Chemistry or related discipline and 4 to 6 years of laboratory experience performing computational chemistry; or
  • Ph.D. in Chemistry or related discipline and 0 to 3 years of laboratory experience performing computational chemistry.
• Experience applying computational chemistry methods.
• Must have demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills and scientific creativity.
• Solid understanding of computer-aided drug discovery.
• Ability to observe appropriate safety and study requirements by reading, understanding, and following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and study protocols as applicable.
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a collaborative, scientific team.
• Research experience in the field of specialization with advanced knowledge of equipment, procedures and methods of analysis associated with the synthesis of new compounds.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites Products and other relevant software.
• Proven ability to work in a collaborative team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in coding in Python, Google Colab, shell scripts, R Perl, Tcl/Tk, or administrating high performance computers (especially Linux OS).
• Familiar with modeling platforms/software such as DeepChem, KNIME, TensorFlow,BIOVIA Pipeline Pilot, Schrödinger, AMBER, CHARMM, QChem, VMD, or Autodoc Vina.
• Working knowledge of any of the following topics: data scienc,e Omics, DNA-encoded library, CRISPR, PROTAC, therapeutic target/biomarker discovery, antibiotic drug resistance, precision medicine, and bio-macromolecule drug discovery.