Lecturer / Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence for Biomolecular Design & Molecular Interactions

UCL; City Of London; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

UCL invites applications for a Lecturer/Associate Professor position in the Research Department of Structural & Molecular Biology (SMB). The successful candidate will lead an AI-driven research programme on biomolecular design and interactions, combining structural biology, biophysics, quantitative biology and machine learning.

The postholder will contribute to teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, develop cross‑division links such as the new MRes AI for Bioscience, and help

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent qualification in a relevant field.
• Innovative research agenda in AI for biomolecular designs and molecular interactions, computational biology applied to molecular biosystems, or closely related area.
• Strong quantitative and data science strength.
• Experience of research-led teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level; interdisciplinary working and external engagement.

Responsibilities

• Establish or expand a research and teaching programme centred on AI-driven biomolecular design and interactions.
• Contribute teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the new cross-division MRes AI for Bioscience.
• Foster collaborative partnerships, attract research funding, and contribute to an inclusive academic environment.

Job description

About the role

An exciting development in AI-driven biosciences is the development of predictive and generative models of biomolecular interactions, spanning protein–ligand, protein–protein, and protein–nucleic acid systems. Next-generation approaches that integrate structural, thermodynamic and sequence-level information to model binding specificity, affinity, and conformational dynamics, and on translating these insights into the rational design of novel molecules and interaction networks, will enable precise control of biomolecular interactions and functions.

This is an exciting opportunity to become a Lecturer/Associate Professor at UCL. The successful candidate will take an active role in the Research Department of Structural & Molecular Biology (SMB), developing international standard, competitive research programme, conducting teaching and training of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and supporting the Departmental vision of creating an impact on the life of the University and the society.

The successful candidate will establish (at Grade 8) or expand (at Grade 9) a research and teaching programme centred on original, AI-driven approaches for biomolecular design, with a focus on molecular recognition and interaction engineering. We are particularly interested in candidates with a track record of developing innovative approaches combining elements of structural biology, biophysics, quantitative biology and machine learning, to understand and design interactions between proteins, small molecules, and nucleic acids. This new research programme will be fully embedded within research activities of SMB, providing opportunities of fruitful interactions between experimentalist and theoreticians, shaping and expanding new research directions. The postholder will play a pivotal role in SMB’s teaching activities, contributing teaching in relevant areas (e.g. computational biology, protein-nucleic acid/small molecule interactions, protein/biomolecular design) at both und ergraduate and postgraduate levels, including a new cross-division MRes AI for Bioscience.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Academic Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies/2021/jun/conditions-service-academic-staff for more information.

Interviews will be provisionally scheduled for early January 2027.

About you

You will have a PhD or equivalent qualification in a relevant field and an innovative research agenda in AI for Biomolecular Designs and Molecular Interactions, Computational Biology applied to Molecular Biosystems or in a closely related area with clear quantitative and data science strength. You will have experience of research-led teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level, with a strong interest in interdisciplinary working, external engagement and translational impact. You will also show the potential to build collaborative partnerships, attract research funding, and contribute to an inclusive and ambitious academic environment.

A full list of essential and desirable criteria is provided in the accompanying person specification at the bottom of this page with further details of how to apply.

What we offer

The UCL Ways of Working supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work – please 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 which can been in the link below:

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/