Research Fellow, Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology

As part of a new industrial-academic collaboration between Almac Discovery and the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen’s University Belfast, we are seeking an enthusiastic person with experience in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to join our drug discovery team to lead our NMR activities and integrate a new 500MHz Cryoprobe ProdigyTM NMR system within the newly formed Centre for Precision Therapeutics on the Medicine, Health and Life Science campus of Queen’s University Belfast. One of the objectives of this collaboration is to identify and characterise new small molecule fragment leads and to develop these into probes that selectively inhibit novel cancer targets with high therapeutic relevance. Therefore, a central focus of the role will be to develop a fragment/ligand–based screening platform within the Centre. Additionally, application of multidimensional NMR methods for protein characterisation/assignment and assessment of protein-ligand interactions will be a key focus of our broader small molecule
and protein therapeutic drug discovery efforts. The candidate is expected to be fully integrated with the drug discovery teams and make significant contributions to on-going programmes. This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of a cross functional team incorporating both industrial and academic co-workers to apply state of the art NMR techniques to facilitate drug discovery.

MAJOR DUTIES:

• Apply and develop NMR-based methods for drug discovery including STD approaches for fragment-based screening.
• Be directly involved in all research programmes at ALMAC Discovery applying NMR methodologies to support current and future drug discovery projects.
• Establish and perform compound fragment screening activities for de novo hit identification on novel target classes of therapeutic relevance to cancer. Perform follow-up studies and hit deconvolution activities when necessary.
• Perform hit validation activities to confirm ligand binding typically using STD, HSQC, TROSY techniques etc. or a combination of techniques. Troubleshoot and identify spurious mode of inhibition/binding (e.g. protein aggregation, protein instability, compound aggregation, non specific mode of binding etc.).
• Establish and perform profiling experiments by NMR to elucidate the mode of inhibition and/or mode of binding of novel inhibitors (e.g. reversible binding, kinetic characterisation, competitive studies with substrate, binding site mapping etc.).
• Apply multidimensional NMR methods for protein characterisation/assignment.
• Contribute to the day-to-day running of the NMR facility (new Bruker 500MHz CryoProbeTM Prodigy with SampleJet), including instrument troubleshooting and liaising with Bruker when required.
• Routinely provide advice to NMR users on available experiments and interpret spectra as required.
• Retain an up-to-date knowledge of advances in NMR instrumentation and techniques and champion the use of NMR within
• Almac Discovery. Provide technical and operational leadership on application of NMR to current projects. Introduce new NMR experiments which will enhance current capabilities.
• To work as part of a collaborative team to ensure optimal progression of projects at all times.
• To present regular progress reports/data analysis to members of the research project team and, as appropriate, to other internal or external audiences to disseminate and publicise research findings.
• To keep abreast of developments in own specialism and related disciplines, and to maintain awareness of the context of research projects.
• To write up results in a timely manner and take a leadership role in writing research manuscripts for publication in high impact journals.
• To formulate, write and submit grants for fellowship awards, project and travel support.
• To attend and present new experimental data at national and international meetings as appropriate.
• To assist with the supervision of students on mini-projects, where appropriate, which will help develop their own supervisory skills.
• To carry out administrative tasks associated with the research project/s as required, to ensure that project/s are completed on time and within budget.

Planning and Organising:

• Independent planning of own day-to-day activity and short term (1-3 months) planning of work within the framework of the agreed research programme.
• Coordinate and liaise with other members of the research group to ensure project progress.
• Plan up to a year in advance to meet deadlines for journal publications and to prepare presentations and papers for conferences.

Resource Management Responsibilities:

• Support the development and training of support staff and students by making available their research experience and expertise.
• Take shared responsibility for the upkeep of lab equipment and replenishment of lab stocks and exercise due diligence when using equipment. Communicate interactively with lab colleagues to disseminate and discuss the latest research findings/results.
• Develop contacts with other labs within the global NMR community and look to identify potential cross-discipline collaborations.

Internal and External Relationships:

• Work collaboratively with external academic/industrial partners.
• Join national and international scientifically relevant societies as appropriate.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Have or be about to obtain a PhD in a relevant scientific discipline.
• An Honours degree in a relevant scientific area.
• At least three years’ relevant experience to include hands on experience in the use of relevant NMR techniques.
• Previous experience in the screening and/or characterisation of small molecule inhibitors by NMR.
• Ability to design and interpret data from advanced NMR experiments.
• Experience of troubleshooting NMR instruments.
• Evidence of proactive organisational capabilities. Sufficient breadth and depth of specialist knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes.
• Must display clarity of thinking, organisation and attention to detail and ability to work within deadlines.
• Evidence of good communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Ability to build contacts and participate in internal and external networks and research presentations.
• Team worker, highly motivated, supportive of junior colleagues within the group.
• Self-starter.
• Ability to assess and organise resources.
• Must demonstrate a true commitment to and interest in research.
• Must be willing to work irregular hours when necessary for the progress of the research project.
• Must be willing and able to travel to external meetings and/or conferences when required.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

• Commitment to professional development, as evidenced by membership of scientific societies, e.g. RSC, ACS etc. Experience in multi-dimensional bio-NMR methods for characterising proteins.
• Experience in protein assignment and structural determination.
• Experience in the investigation of protein / peptide dynamics using NMR relaxation.
• Previous NMR experience within industry (i.e. pharmaceuticals/biotech).
• Working knowledge and experience of complimentary biophysical techniques (e.g. SPR, thermophoresis) would be advantageous.
• Evidence of participation in training/mentoring of students or junior staff.
• Evidence of previous contribution to administration, collaborative links with industry or to community outreach programmes.
• Ability to prioritise research experiments in order to meet deadlines and targets.
• Good communication and verbal skills with an ability to explain and rationalise chemical challenges and experimental results to a non-specialist audience.
• Good interpersonal skills.