Assistant Professor Computer-Aided Drug Design

Assistant Professor Position: Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD)

We are seeking an Assistant Professor to lead the Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) group within the Medicinal Chemistry division. The successful candidate will develop methodologies in molecular modeling, data management, and machine learning to advance the understanding of ligand-protein interactions.

With a background in drug development, medicinal chemistry, and computational chemistry, the candidate will support research on G-Protein Coupled Receptors and Fragment-Based Drug Discovery. The role requires expertise in both ligand-based and structure-based drug discovery, and the molecular insights obtained will help guide synthetic chemists and molecular pharmacologists through interdisciplinary collaboration within the division.

Profile Requirements

• Experience in developing and applying a variety of computational techniques (including protein structure predictions, molecular dynamics, docking, virtual screening, structural chemogenomics, machine learning, AI, free-energy perturbations, etc.)
• Data management expertise, cheminformatics, and bioinformatics
• Experience in modeling G-protein coupled receptors and enzymes
• Experience in programming and scripting
• A strong publication record
• Good communicative skills in writing and speaking
• A track record in attracting research funding
• Leadership skills to lead the computer-aided drug design group
• The ability to motivate and teach graduate and undergraduate students

We welcome applications from individuals who recognize themselves in this profile, even if not all requirements are met.

What We Offer

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research, and service for a better world. In return for your efforts, we offer you:

• A position for at least 1 FTE with an initial 18-month contract and the prospect of a permanent contract.
• Attractive fringe benefits and regulations, including a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year based on a full-time 38-hour workweek.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• Possibility to save holiday hours for sabbatical leave
• Solid pension scheme (ABP)
• Child daycare facilities available on campus

About Us

The Medicinal Chemistry Division

The group has two main research lines, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and Fragment-Based Drug Discovery. Within the GPCR research line, the division has been focusing especially on histamine receptors and chemokine receptors. The computational group uses the rapidly emerging structural understanding to develop GPCR activation models, construct ligand-protein binding models, deduce structure-activity relationships, and identify and optimize novel GPCR ligands.

Within the fragment-based drug design research line, molecular modeling explores various protein classes, including GPCRs, phosphodiesterases, and ligand-gated ion channels. Identification of fragment hits is followed up by structure-based drug design to develop potent lead compounds. Fragment-based approaches are also used to study fundamental aspects of ligand-protein binding using experimental data generated by techniques like SPR, ITC, and x-ray crystallography. Bio- and cheminformatics approaches are employed to study poly-pharmacology, aiming to develop new drug candidates with clinical potential, particularly for neglected parasitic diseases and inflammation.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

VU Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts who think freely, maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective focused on diversity and social significance. Together, we aim for sustainable solutions with social impact. We foster a climate of safety, respect, and inspiration for education and research.

We are committed to diversity, recognizing it as crucial for outstanding teaching, research, and service quality. We invite people whose backgrounds and experiences contribute to the diversity of the VU community to apply.

Interest

Are you interested in this position and believe your experience will contribute to our university's development? We encourage you to submit your application.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.