Assistant Research Officer/Research Officer

Times Higher Education; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing benefits

Annual leave

Medical benefits

University contribution to retirement

Job summary

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG in Hong Kong invites applications for the role of Assistant Research Officer/Research Officer in the Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, to commence as soon as possible on a one-year temporary basis or a two-year fixed-term basis, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding and performance.

The appointee will join an antiviral drug discovery project focused on developing small-molecule approaches to target conserved viral RNA elements, with

Qualifications

• Ph.D. degree and at least 3 years of postdoctoral research on related projects.
• Prior experience in virology is preferred and advantageous.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work independently and in collaborative settings.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to viral RNA target analysis, RNA structure modeling, virtual screening, compound prioritization, and small-molecule design.
• Lead and execute end-to-end research projects in RNA-targeted therapeutics and antiviral drug discovery.
• Design translational research strategies and perform biostatistical analysis of experimental data.
• Collaborate with colleagues, share knowledge proactively, and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

Excellent communication

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Virology experience

RNA structural biology

Computational drug screening

Molecular docking

Education

Ph.D. degree

Job description

Organisation/Company THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Research Field Chemistry Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) First Stage Researcher (R1)

Application Deadline 31 Dec 2026 - 00:00 (UTC)

Country Hong Kong

Type of Contract Temporary

Job Status Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Ref.: 537726

Work type: Full-time

Department: Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine (20700)

Categories: Senior Research Staff & Post-doctoral Fellow

Applications are invited for appointment as Assistant Research Officer/Research Officer in the Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine (Ref.: 537726), to commence as soon as possible on a one-year temporary basis or a two-year fixed-term basis, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance.

We are recruiting an Assistant Research Officer/Research Officer to join an antiviral drug discovery project focused on developing small-molecule approaches to target conserved viral RNA elements.

Requirements

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree and have at least 3 years of relevant postdoctoral research experience working on related projects. Prior experience in virology is preferred. They should demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work effectively both independently and within multidisciplinary teams.

We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, RNA structural biology, RNA–small molecule interactions, computational chemistry, cheminformatics, or AI-assisted virtual drug screening. Experience in RNA-targeted therapeutics, molecular docking, RNA binding assays, structure–activity relation analysis, or computational drug discovery would be highly advantageous.

Duties

The appointee will contribute to viral RNA target analysis, RNA structure modeling, virtual screening, compound prioritization, small-molecule design, assay development, and early-stage drug discovery. He/She will lead and execute end-to-end research projects in RNA-targeted therapeutics, antiviral drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, RNA structural biology, computational drug screening. He/She will design and implement translational research strategies and also conduct biostatistical analysis to interpret experimental data. He/She will be expected to collaborate closely with colleagues, proactively share knowledge, and consistently deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced and deadline-driven research environment.

The appointee will work mainly in the Hong Kong Science Park but occasionally in HKU.

What We Offer

A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits. The appointment on fixed terms will attract a contract-end gratuity and University contribution to a retirement benefits scheme at 15% of basic salary for Research Officer; 10% of basic salary for Assistant Research Officer. Housing benefits will also be provided to Research Officer as applicable.