Cheminformatics Scientist - Hybrid Drug Discovery

Placements24; LegKraal Gate; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and bonus

Advanced computational resources

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Generous paid time off

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly analytical Computational Scientist in Mahikeng to join a hybrid research team focusing on drug discovery and materials science. The role combines on-site lab collaboration with remote data analysis to develop computational tools and analyze chemical structures.

The ideal candidate has advanced degrees in cheminformatics or computational chemistry and strong programming experience with RDKit/Open Babel, applying ML to chemical data and collaborating with chemists.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Cheminformatics, Computational Chemistry, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
• Proven experience in applying cheminformatics principles and tools in a research setting.
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, or Java, with experience in RDKit/Open Babel.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain chemical databases and computational tools for chemical structure searching and analysis.
• Apply cheminformatics techniques (e.g., QSAR, molecular similarity, scaffold hopping) to support drug discovery and lead optimization.
• Build predictive models for chemical properties, ADMET profiles, and biological activity.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists and biologists to interpret computational results and guide experimental design.
• Visualize chemical structures and data effectively for reporting and presentation.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements in cheminformatics and computational chemistry methodologies.

Skills

Cheminformatics

Python

RDKit/Open Babel

Machine Learning

Data analysis

Collaboration

Education

PhD or MS in Cheminformatics/Computational Chemistry

Tools

RDKit

Open Babel

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a highly analytical Computational Scientist in Mahikeng to join a hybrid research team focusing on drug discovery and materials science. The role combines on-site lab collaboration with remote data analysis to develop computational tools and analyze chemical structures.

The ideal candidate has advanced degrees in cheminformatics or computational chemistry and strong programming experience with RDKit/Open Babel, applying ML to chemical data and collaborating with chemists.