Computational Biologist - Drug Discovery

Placements24; Mossel Bay; Híbrido; ZAR 900.000 - 1.300.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Competitive salary

Annual performance bonus

Comprehensive health insurance

Generous vacation policy

Professional development and trainings

Access to advanced computational infra

Descripción de la vacante

Placements24 is partnering with a leading pharmaceutical research organization in Mossel Bay, Western Cape to recruit a Computational Biologist. You will analyze large-scale omics data, develop predictive models, and help identify novel drug targets within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities include building bioinformatics pipelines, applying statistics, and interpreting results to guide experiments.

Formación

• Master’s degree or PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, CS, or a related field.
• 3–7 years of relevant experience in computational biology or drug discovery.
• Proficiency in Python or R and Linux/Unix environments.
• Experience with omics data analysis and cheminformatics is a plus.

Responsabilidades

• Analyze large-scale omics datasets using computational methods.
• Develop predictive models to identify potential drug targets and mechanisms.
• Build and maintain bioinformatics pipelines for data processing and QC.
• Collaborate with chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to guide experiments.
• Present findings and contribute to publications and conferences.

Conocimientos

Python

R

Bioinformatics

Statistics

Linux

Data analysis

Educación

Master’s degree in Computational Biology

PhD preferred

Herramientas

Git

Snakemake

Docker

SQL

Descripción del empleo

About the Role

Our client, a leading pharmaceutical research organization based in Mossel Bay, Western Cape, is seeking a dedicated Computational Biologist to join their innovative drug discovery team. This role is crucial for analyzing complex biological data, developing predictive models, and contributing to the identification and validation of novel drug targets. You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, applying computational approaches to accelerate the drug development pipeline. This is an exciting opportunity to make a tangible impact on patient lives by working in a forward-thinking organization situated in the beautiful coastal city of Mossel Bay.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze large-scale biological datasets (e.g., genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, high-throughput screening data) using computational methods.
• Develop and apply computational models to predict drug efficacy, identify potential targets, and understand drug mechanisms of action.
• Collaborate with chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to integrate computational findings into experimental design and interpretation.
• Design and implement bioinformatics pipelines for data processing, quality control, and statistical analysis.
• Contribute to the interpretation of experimental results and generation of actionable hypotheses for further investigation.
• Stay updated on the latest advancements in computational biology, cheminformatics, and drug discovery techniques.
• Present research findings clearly and concisely to project teams and management.
• Maintain well-documented code and analytical workflows for reproducibility.
• Contribute to scientific publications and presentations.

Requirements

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
• 3-7 years of relevant experience in computational biology, preferably within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R, and experience with relevant bioinformatics libraries and tools.
• Strong understanding of statistical methods and experience with data analysis of biological datasets.
• Familiarity with drug discovery processes and relevant biological data types.
• Experience with pathway analysis, network biology, or machine learning is a plus.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of Linux/Unix operating systems.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and annual performance bonus.
• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
• Generous vacation policy and public holidays.
• Opportunities for professional development, training, and attending conferences.
• Access to advanced computational infrastructure and scientific resources.
• A collaborative and innovative research culture.
• Retirement savings plan.