Research Associate - Coordination Cages for Protein Encapsulation (Fixed Term)

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research associate to carry out a joint project between the Department of Chemistry (supervisor Prof Jonathan Nitschke) and Astex Pharmaceuticals (supervisor Dr Mladen Vinkovic).  The successful candidate will develop new metal-organic capsules, expected to be among the largest ever prepared, for the encapsulation of proteins, with practical relevance in the area of drug discovery.  The position will be based primarily in the Department of Chemistry, but the candidate will have the opportunity to work at the nearby Astex site, making use of their cutting-edge synthetic and characterisation facilities, thus gaining experience in both academic and industrial contexts.

This position is available immediately and builds on an already-successful collaborative effort, as reported in Nature Synth. 2023, 2, 789-797 and J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 11356-11363

The successful candidate will have a PhD in synthetic chemistry, a strong publication record, and excellent communication, organisational and administrative skills.  Knowledge of one or more of supramolecular coordination chemistry, host-guest chemistry, protein manipulation, electron microscopy, and modern spectroscopic techniques will be beneficial.

Appointment at the Research Associate level is dependent on the award of a PhD.  Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at the Research Assistant level, which will be amended to Research Associate once the award of the PhD has been confirmed.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit :

http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/47151.

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV), a covering letter and publications list in the upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents that have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

For queries relating to your application or the application process, please contact Prof Jonathan Nitschke via email on jrn34@cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference MA42247 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The Department holds an Athena SWAN silver award for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Advert information