Computational Chemist - Drug Discovery (Relocation Support)

Placements24; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance may be available

Professional development opportunities

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a highly motivated Computational Chemist to join its drug discovery team in Pretoria. The role focuses on molecular modeling, docking, and cheminformatics to accelerate lead optimization and the identification of novel drug candidates.

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD with 4+ years of experience, be proficient in Schrodinger/MOE/GROMACS/AMBER and skilled in Python for workflow automation.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computational Chemistry, Cheminformatics, Theoretical Chemistry or related field.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in computational chemistry applied to drug discovery.
• Proficient with computational software like Schrodinger, MOE, GROMACS or AMBER.
• Strong grasp of molecular mechanics, quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics.
• Experience with virtual screening, pharmacophore modelling and QSAR.
• Scripting skills (Python, Perl) for automation and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Use molecular modeling, docking and simulations to predict ligand–protein interactions.
• Perform virtual screening of large compound libraries to identify hits.
• Apply cheminformatics tools for SAR studies and library design.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists to design novel molecules with better properties.
• Develop computational workflows to streamline drug discovery processes.
• Analyze complex data and generate reports for project teams.
• Stay updated with advances in computational chemistry and drug discovery.
• Evaluate and implement new software and methodologies.
• Contribute to IP through patents and publications.
• Maintain thorough records and project documentation.

Education

PhD in Computational Chemistry or related field

Tools

Schrodinger Suite

MOE

GROMACS

AMBER

Job description

Placements24 seeks a highly motivated Computational Chemist to join its drug discovery team in Pretoria. The role focuses on molecular modeling, docking, and cheminformatics to accelerate lead optimization and the identification of novel drug candidates.

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD with 4+ years of experience, be proficient in Schrodinger/MOE/GROMACS/AMBER and skilled in Python for workflow automation.