Allen Spolden
Director or Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry
La Jolla, United States | Posted on 09/19/2024
- Industry Pharma/Biotech/Clinical Research
- Work Experience 5+ years
- State/Province California
- Country United States
Job Description
We seek an experienced and creative medicinal chemist with a proven track record of success in drug discovery. Candidates should be motivated to work in an intensely collaborative, multidisciplinary, team-based setting. The role will entail coordinating a medicinal chemistry team with internal and external experimental capabilities, as well as proactively interfacing with diverse teams working on automated experimentation, AI-driven molecular generation, property predictions, and bioassay data generation.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead a group of medicinal chemists and drive molecular discovery efforts to deliver development and clinical candidates
- Devise strategies to identify lead molecules and optimize them for potency, selectivity, and ADME properties using multivariant SAR analysis and hypothesis driven design principles
- Work closely with molecular and cellular biology, pharmacology, computational chemistry, ADME, and other key functions
- Act as liaison between Entos, CROs, and other external partners
- Influence the prospective use of computational methods and leverage automated synthesis and high-throughput experimentation capabilities
- Work closely with AI/ML teams to develop and implement relevant predictive models to aid in the design of new molecules
- Communicate project updates clearly and effectively to the broader team and key stakeholders
- Work as a senior member of the Chemistry research group and foster a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and teamwork
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- A Ph.D./Postdoc in organic chemistry with 8 or more years of experience in Pharma/Bio-tech drug discovery
- Expert in modern synthetic organic chemistry approaches and principles demonstrated through publications in journals and patents
- Ability to integrate multiple R&D disciplines into a successful strategic project plan
- Experience in leading projects and driving programs through the preclinical development process
- Experience working with computational chemists as part of project team in design of drug targets is required
- Strong interpersonal, communication, time management, and leadership skills
- Experience mentoring or leading junior chemists
- Creative problem solving and management of relationships with several stakeholders within and beyond the company