University assistant predoctoral

Organisation/Company: Universität Wien

Research Field: Sociology » Other

Researcher Profile: Established Researcher (R3)

Country: Austria

Application Deadline: 23 May 2025 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Part-time

Hours Per Week: 30

Offer Starting Date: 1 Aug 2025

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

The University of Vienna is a community of over 10,000 individuals, including approximately 7,500 academic staff members, who passionately pursue answers to the profound questions that shape our future. They represent individuals driven by curiosity and a relentless pursuit of excellence. With us, they find the space to try things out and unfold their potential. Are you inspired by their passion and determination? We are currently seeking a/an University assistant predoctoral for the Faculty of Life Sciences.

Start date: 01.08.2025 | Working hours: 30 | Collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)

Limited until: permanent

Reference no.: 3848

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where more than 7,500 academics thrive on curiosity in continuous exploration and help us better understand our world. Does this sound like you? Then join our accomplished team! A PhD position is available in the group of Prof. Dr. Konrad at the University of Vienna, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry starting in August 2025. We are looking for a candidate with expertise in medicinal chemistry/ synthetic organic chemistry with a passion for drug discovery to join our young and enthusiastic team. The project involves the design and synthesis of covalent chemical probes and drug candidates. The foundation for the development of these molecular tools is the establishment of tailored reactive elements ('warheads' or 'chemotypes'). To generate drug candidates, scaffold modifications will be performed as part of structure-activity relationship studies. The key targets within our group are antioxidant proteins involved in the induction of ferroptosis in therapy-resistant and metastatic states of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. The key enabling technologies of the laboratory are a (chemo)proteomics analyses platform to study protein targets, off-target engagement as well as mechanisms-of-action for small molecules and a semi-automated high-throughput experimentation (HTE) platform to perform chemical reactions at an accelerated pace. A successful applicant will spend the first 3 months of the PhD project at the LMU Munich for training purposes.

• Experience in synthetic organic/ medicinal chemistry and a passion for drug discovery
• A deep interest and enthusiasm for scientific work
• A critical and analytical mind
• Ability to work responsibly, reliably, diligently, and independently perform experiments
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team within the group and with external collaborators
• A passion for training colleagues and students in the laboratory
• Experience in the most commonly employed techniques in the laboratory (see "Your future tasks" section)
• Programming skills in python and R with experience in statistical data analysis are an advantage

The most commonly used techniques for the project are chemical synthesis as well as the analysis of the produced compounds and their reactivity. To perform chemical syntheses, we expect experience with standard inert-atmosphere techniques such as Schlenk line and glovebox set-ups. For compound analysis, NMR, HRMS, HPLC, LC-MS, and UV-vis are frequently used techniques. The reactivity of chemical probes will be determined through reaction kinetics measurements. We encourage students to apply who have experience with most of these methods and are excited to expand their skill set with the approaches that they are not yet familiar with. Programming skills in python and R with experience in statistical data analysis are a strong bonus.

About us:

We are a young and enthusiastic team focused on developing new treatments against drug-resistant and metastatic states of lung cancers by working at the interface of medicinal chemistry, chemical methodology development, cancer chemical biology, and (chemo)proteomics. The project is strongly connected to the key goal of the group to study phenotypic plasticity concerning cancer progression, hydrogen peroxide signaling, and ferroptosis. The group is currently transitioning from Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich to the University of Vienna. For more information, visit: https://konrad.cup.uni-muenchen.de/

This position requires a completed Master’s degree (or equivalent) with a focus in:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Drug Development
• Chemical Biology

Additional Information

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely.

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Duration of contract: The contract for employment is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not submit a declaration of non-renewal within the first 12 months.

Fair salary: The basic salary is EUR 3,714.80 (full-time basis), with increases possible based on professional experience.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!