Postdoctoral fellow - Computational Chemistry (m/f/d)

Syngenta Group; Stein; On-site; CHF 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Friendly Work Space label (Switzerland

Access to state-of-the-art facilities

Flexible work arrangements

Open culture and diverse workforce

Job summary

Syngenta Crop Protection in Stein, Switzerland, is seeking a Postdoctoral fellow in Computational Chemistry to advance molecular design with AI/ML methods integrated with traditional approaches. The role focuses on data-driven discovery of active ingredients and scalable computational workflows in an R&D setting.

The two-year fixed-term contract requires a PhD in computational chemistry or related field, strong design fundamentals, and experience with HPC and modern cheminformatics tools.

Qualifications

• PhD in computational chemistry or related field.
• Strong foundation in target- and ligand-based design.
• Proficiency with state-of-the-art computational chemistry/cheminformatics packages.
• Experience with computational workflows.
• Working knowledge of Python programming.
• Basic understanding of statistics and data analysis.
• Proficiency in Windows and Unix OS, including batch/shell scripting and CLI automation.
• Experience with HPC and distributed computing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Support design of new active ingredients using computational techniques, data analysis, predictive modelling, and molecular modelling.
• Collaborate with chemists, computational chemists, biologists and other experts to provide design inputs for chemical invention.
• Work with computational chemistry colleagues across R&D to drive technology development and promote state-of-the-art methods.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of computational chemistry infrastructures, workflows and algorithm implementation.

Skills

Target- and ligand-based design

Python programming

Statistics & data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

HPC & distributed computing

Windows & Unix CLI

Education

PhD in Computational Chemistry or related field

Tools

Chemoinformatics packages (RDKit/OpenEye)

Computational workflows

Batch/shell scripting & CLI

Job description

Postdoctoral fellow - Computational Chemistry (m/f/d)

Contract

As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers protect their crops and ensure enough safe, nutritious and affordable food for all, while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting. From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland.

Health Promotion Switzerland recognizes Syngenta's commitment to the health and well-being of its employees and awards the "Friendly Work Space" label to all its Swiss sites. At Syngenta, employee health and well-being are key to the company.

We are looking for a highly motivated computational chemist to join the Computational Chemistry group at our R&D site in Stein, Switzerland. With strong expertise in computer-aided chemical design and molecular modelling, you will drive innovation in our molecular design processes. As part of your professional development, you will have the opportunity to explore and integrate AI/ML methodologies with traditional computational chemistry approaches to accelerate and improve molecular design of active ingredients. Strong teamwork, excellence in computational design, and the willingness to translate innovative scientific concepts into scalable solutions are essential.

This postdoctoral position is offered on a two-year fixed-term contract.

Accountabilities

• Support design of new active ingredients by using computational techniques that include data analysis and predictive modelling, molecular modelling, structure- and ligand-based design
• Work with chemists, computational chemists, biologists and other experts to devise strategies on how best to use data and provide design inputs to support chemical invention.
• Work with computational chemistry colleagues across R&D to drive technology development and promote the use of state-of-the-art methods.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of computational chemistry infrastructures, workflows and algorithm implementation.

Required Skills

• PhD in computational chemistry or related field
• Strong foundation in target- and ligand-based design
• Proficiency with state-of-the-art computational chemistry/cheminformatics packages
• Experience with computational workflows
• Working knowledge of Python programming
• Basic understanding of statistics and data analysis
• Proficiency in both Windows and Unix operating systems, including batch/shell scripting and CLI automation
• Demonstrated experience with High-Performance Computing (HPC) and distributed computing environments
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams

Additional Expertise

• Machine learning concepts and their applications in chemistry
• Advanced data analysis and visualization techniques
• We provide access to state-of-the-art research facilities and technologies, enabling you to apply and expand your expertise in computational design and active ingredient optimization.
• We cultivate a dynamic and intellectually stimulating working environment, with an open culture and diverse workforce, where new ideas are always welcome. We embrace flexible work arrangements and foster work-life balance.
• We are part of a strong regional Science hub, offering you the opportunity to interact with a rich community of scientists in life sciences, further enhancing your professional network and knowledge exchange.

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status