Automation-Driven Medicinal Chemist

warp; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

warp is seeking a Scientist to join its Medicinal Chemistry group to design and execute multi-step organic syntheses and support client drug discovery programs in a hands-on, automation‑focused environment.

The role involves proposing routes, optimizing reactions, purifying compounds, and generating high-quality data for machine learning training datasets, while collaborating with AI scientists and roboticists on automated synthesis platforms.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• 0–3 years of relevant synthetic organic chemistry experience (industry, CRO, or advanced academic/graduate research); internship or co‑op experience considered for entry‑level candidates.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with multi‑step organic synthesis and standard purification techniques.
• Working knowledge of retrosynthetic analysis and route design principles.
• Proficiency interpreting spectroscopic and analytical data (NMR, LCMS, HPLC) to confirm structure and purity.
• Solid understanding of laboratory safety practices and safe handling of reactive/hazardous chemicals.
• Strong record‑keeping and documentation habits; experience with ELN systems is a plus.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and shifting priorities in a deadline‑driven environment.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present data clearly to project teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and execute multi‑step organic synthesis of target compounds in support of client medicinal chemistry and hit‑to‑lead/lead optimization programs.
• Propose and evaluate synthetic routes, including retrosynthetic analysis, selection of viable pathways, and identification of scalable, cost‑effective alternatives.
• Perform reaction optimization (yield, selectivity, purity, scalability) and troubleshoot synthetic problems using sound mechanistic reasoning.
• Purify and characterize intermediates and final compounds using standard techniques (column chromatography, prep‑HPLC, recrystallization) and analytical methods (LCMS, NMR, HPLC, HRMS).
• Accurately and promptly record experimental procedures, observations, and results in electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN) in accordance with company and client documentation standards.
• Support scale‑up of key intermediates and final compounds as required by project needs.
• Communicate progress, data, and route strategy clearly and regularly to project leaders and, where applicable, directly to client scientists.
• Generate clean, well‑structured experimental data (reaction inputs/outputs, conditions, yields, analytical results) suitable for use as high‑quality training data for machine learning and reaction‑prediction models.
• Partner closely with AI scientists and roboticists to translate synthetic routes and bench protocols into procedures executable on automated/robotic synthesis platforms, providing chemistry expertise during platform design, testing, and validation.
• Provide hands‑on feedback on automated workflows (liquid handling, automated reaction setup, in‑line analytics) and help troubleshoot discrepancies between manual and automated execution of chemistry.
• Support iterative improvement of self‑driving lab and automated chemistry capabilities by flagging edge cases, failure modes, and data quality issues encountered at the bench.
• Maintain compliance with laboratory safety protocols, chemical hygiene procedures, and proper handling/disposal of hazardous materials.
• Manage time and priorities effectively across multiple concurrent projects and client deadlines.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of synthetic methods, workflows, and best practices within the chemistry group.

Skills

Synthesis

Route design

ELN experience

NMR/LCMS/HPLC

Data recording

Communication

Education

B.S./M.S. in Chemistry

Tools

ChemDraw

NMR

LCMS

HPLC

ELN systems

Job description

warp is seeking a Scientist to join its Medicinal Chemistry group to design and execute multi-step organic syntheses and support client drug discovery programs in a hands-on, automation‑focused environment.

The role involves proposing routes, optimizing reactions, purifying compounds, and generating high-quality data for machine learning training datasets, while collaborating with AI scientists and roboticists on automated synthesis platforms.