Lead Drug Discovery Lab Director

Amsterdam UMC; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 68,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End-of-year bonus (8.3%)

GoodHabitz learning platform access

Pension ABP

100% public transport reimbursement

Bike scheme

Holiday and travel allowances

Job summary

Amsterdam UMC is seeking a Director of Drug Discovery to establish and lead Candidate Center CCA, a cutting-edge screening lab that integrates target-based, cell-based, and AI-supported approaches to generate cancer drug leads.

You will set up the lab, coordinate collaboration with academic groups, and oversee assay development, hit identification, and ongoing optimization, shaping translational projects and driving funding initiatives.

Qualifications

• PhD in (bio)medical sciences, (bio)chemistry, pharmacology or a related discipline.
• Experience in a drug discovery or screening environment in industry, biotech or academia.
• Familiarity with AI-supported drug discovery to prioritize compounds.
• Hands-on experience with biochemical/biophysical assays (e.g. SPR, TR-FRET) and phenotypic screening.
• Experience with acquiring grants or external funding.

Responsibilities

• Set up and expand a state-of-the-art drug discovery lab.
• Develop, validate and maintain target-based and cell-based screening systems.
• Run screens according to current international standards.
• Identify projects with high translational potential for drug discovery.
• Contribute to the acquisition of grants and external funding.

Skills

Assay design & validation

Biochemical/biophysical assays

Phenotypic screening

Grant funding acquisition

Lab setup & project management

Education

PhD in (bio)medical sciences or related

Tools

SPR

TR-FRET

High-content imaging

Job description

Amsterdam UMC is seeking a Director of Drug Discovery to establish and lead Candidate Center CCA, a cutting-edge screening lab that integrates target-based, cell-based, and AI-supported approaches to generate cancer drug leads.

You will set up the lab, coordinate collaboration with academic groups, and oversee assay development, hit identification, and ongoing optimization, shaping translational projects and driving funding initiatives.