Lead Scientist, Peptide Medicinal Chemistry

WuXi AppTec Group; Natick (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

WuXi AppTec Group seeks a Principal Scientist / Associate Director to lead peptide medicinal chemistry and lead optimization programs in the peptide discovery group. You will drive SAR, analogue design, and developability improvements while coordinating with display, DEL, and cross-functional teams.

You will guide hit-to-lead efforts, prioritize synthesis, and mentor scientists, with responsibility to advance macrocyclic peptide leads and improve potency and pharmacological properties.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry, Peptide Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or a related discipline.
• Postdoctoral experience in peptide drug discovery or medicinal chemistry is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead medicinal chemistry strategies for peptide and macrocyclic peptide hit-to-lead and lead optimization programs.
• Collaborate with display and DEL teams to translate hits into optimized lead series through rational design and SAR development.
• Design analogues using sequence scanning, amino acid substitution, conformational constraints, and structure-guided approaches.
• Identify binding determinants and optimize sequences to improve potency, selectivity, stability, permeability, solubility, and cellular activity.
• Integrate binding, kinetic, biophysical, structural, and functional data to guide analogue design.
• Design peptides with noncanonical amino acids and other modifications to improve developability.
• Lead follow-up libraries and analogue series to explore chemical space around scaffolds.
• Incorporate stability, permeability, PK/PD, and in vivo data into optimization and prioritization.
• Work with multidisciplinary teams to interpret enrichment and screening data and define optimization strategies.
• Collaborate with peptide chemistry teams to prioritize synthesis and execute iterative campaigns.
• Incorporate structural data and modeling into peptide design where appropriate.
• Provide scientific leadership across peptide discovery programs and mentor scientists.

Skills

Peptide medicinal chemistry

SAR-driven optimization

Lead optimization

Structure-based peptide design

SPPS, LC-MS, HPLC

Noncanonical amino acids

Computational design

Scientific leadership

Effective communication

Education

Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry / Peptide Chemistry / Organic Chemistry / Chemical Biology

Postdoctoral experience in peptide drug discovery

Tools

SPPS

LC-MS

HPLC

Job description

WuXi AppTec Group seeks a Principal Scientist / Associate Director to lead peptide medicinal chemistry and lead optimization programs in the peptide discovery group. You will drive SAR, analogue design, and developability improvements while coordinating with display, DEL, and cross-functional teams.

You will guide hit-to-lead efforts, prioritize synthesis, and mentor scientists, with responsibility to advance macrocyclic peptide leads and improve potency and pharmacological properties.