Ref Number
B02-11136
Professional Expertise
Research and Research Support
Department
School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£43,981-£54,019
Contract Type
Fixed-term
Working Type
On site
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
10-Sept-2026
UCL School of Pharmacy is one of the world’s leading centres of excellence for pharmaceutical science, education and professional engagement, ranked third in the world by QS (2025, Pharmacy and Pharmacology). The Division has a track record in high-quality research across a broad range of drug discovery, pharmacy and patient safety-related areas, and for developing spinout companies that have brought new therapeutic strategies to patients.
Further information can be found on our website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/
This is an exciting opportunity to join Prof Shozeb Haider’s Computational Biophysics group. You will work in a small, collaborative and innovative team that integrates physics-based simulations and machine learning methods to validate targets and design novel molecules for drug discovery.
Applications are invited to work Prof. Shozeb Haider’s Computational Biophysics Group within the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry. This Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) funded position is available to work on the development of next generation Protacs and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), as targeted therapeutics, and associated novel bioconjugation methodologies.
The post holder will be required to carry out the implementation of this research project, including the ML-driven computational design, investigations and optimisation of linkers, conjugation chemistry, and the evaluation of the constructed ADCs using a new class of payload.
Experimental work will be carried out independently but also as part of a team of researchers based at the London School of Pharmacy, Department of Chemistry and various institutes in Korea. The post holder will be expected to have some pastoral care over PhD and Masters students, assisting experimentally with their research projects, where necessary.
- Interviews will be provisionally scheduled for the week commencing 21 September.
- This is a fixed-term role until 31st July 2027 in the first instance with the potential to extend
- Research Fellows - 'Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £38,357 - £41,005 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.'
- This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 80% on site.
- This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.
A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
For in an informal chat or if you have any queries about the role, please contact Professor Shozeb Haider on / [email protected]
If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact the FLS HR team on [email protected]
Location: UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX
To be successful in this role, it is essential that candidates have a PhD degree (or be about to be awarded a PhD) in an area of computational chemistry, computational biophysics or a related area. Demonstrable knowledge and prior work with small molecules, ADC, Protacs and similar systems and strong Computational Chemistry skills including experience of python programming.
The UCL Ways of Working supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work – please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies-advice/ways-working to find out more.
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- Immigration loan
- Relocation scheme for certain posts
- On-Site nursery
- On-site gym
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.
As London’s Global University, we know that diversity and inclusion are fundamental drivers of creativity, innovation, and excellence, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong, thrive, and reach our full potential. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women’.
Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/.
