Research Associate in Homogeneous Catalysis / Computational Chemistry x 2 positions

University of Bristol Law School; Bristol; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

An esteemed research institution in Bristol is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on catalytic processes for pharmaceutical drug synthesis. Ideal candidates will have a PhD in chemistry with expertise in metal catalysis or computational methods. The role involves collaboration with interdisciplinary teams to advance sustainable approaches in drug development. This position offers a full-time contract over three years with a competitive salary range of £38,249 - £44,128.

Qualifications

• Strong background in (homogeneous) catalytic chemistry or computational chemistry.
• Experience in 3d metal catalysis or mechanistic investigation preferred.
• Enthusiastic about interdisciplinary collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Design, application and mechanistic investigation of metal-based catalysts.
• Support synthetic chemists with mechanistic insights.
• Work independently and interact with a diverse team.

Skills

Homogeneous catalytic chemistry

Mechanistic investigation

Computational chemistry

Good communication skills

Project management skills

Education

PhD degree or equivalent

Job description

The role

We are seeking to fill a number of postdoctoral research associate positions aligned with a Prosperity Partnership project involving AstraZeneca and Labman: drEAMcat - Earth-Abundant Metal Catalysis in the Production of Pharmaceutical Drugs . The core aim of drEAMcat Prosperity Partnership is to develop catalytic processes for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients using sustainable, Earth-abundant metals, such as iron and nickel. The replacement of noble metal catalysts in AstraZeneca processes will combine catalyst synthesis with high-throughput experimentation (HTE), automation and digital chemistry, reducing the timescale of experimental and computational mechanistic studies from years to weeks or days, and so achieving rapid implementation of EAM-catalysed transformations by the end of this ambitious project.

What will you be doing?

If your track record is in homogeneous catalysis, the project will focus on the design, application and mechanistic investigation of Earth-abundant (3d transition) metal-based catalysts. In this role, you will be using a classical organometallic and organic synthetic methodology combined with automated approaches and high-throughput screening. If your track record is in computational chemistry, your work will support a group of synthetic chemists by combining detailed mechanistic insights with the use of calculated descriptors/features to analyse the experimental results. In addition, these data, generated with suitable electronic structure methods, will underpin models for the accelerated optimisation of 3d element catalysts, validated experimentally.

You should apply if

You will be a highly motivated individual with a strong background in either (homogeneous) catalytic chemistry, preferably with experience in 3d metal catalysis and/or mechanistic investigation, or computational chemistry, in particular electronic structure calculations (DFT/WFT), again ideally with some expertise in 3d metal catalysis or related areas. Good communication skills are essential, and you must be enthusiastic about working with scientists from complementary disciplines, as you will routinely interact with a team of researchers in synthetic and computational chemistry, as well as HTE and automation specialists. You will be able to work independently and have excellent experimental or computational skills, along with project-management skills and the ability to work as part of a team. You should have, or be about to obtain, a PhD degree or equivalent, demonstrating your extensive experience in either catalytic or computational chemistry.

Additional information

Contract type: Open-ended with fixed funding (3 years)

Work pattern: Full time / 35 hours per week

Grade: I

Salary: £38,249 - £44,128 per annum

School/Unit: School of Chemistry

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Sunday 3rd August 2025

The interviews are anticipated to take place on the 14th August 2025

For informal queries, please contact: Prof. Robin Bedford: [e-mail]

or Dr Natalie Fey: [e-mail]

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