Lead Research Scientist - Cheminformatics

About the Role

Our client is looking for an innovative Lead Research Scientist specializing in Cheminformatics to join their fully remote R&D team. This role will be instrumental in designing and implementing computational strategies to accelerate the discovery and optimization of novel chemical compounds. You will leverage your expertise in cheminformatics, machine learning, and computational chemistry to build predictive models, analyze chemical libraries, and guide synthetic chemistry efforts. The ideal candidate will possess a strong vision for how computational tools can transform drug discovery and a proven ability to lead projects and collaborate effectively within a distributed team environment, contributing to scientific progress from anywhere in the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and application of advanced cheminformatics tools and algorithms for drug discovery.
• Design and implement machine learning models for predicting molecular properties, activity, and ADMET profiles.
• Manage and analyze large chemical databases, identifying promising compound scaffolds and structure-activity relationships (SAR).
• Collaborate closely with medicinal chemists to design novel molecules with desired properties.
• Develop and maintain computational workflows for virtual screening and compound library design.
• Present research findings and strategic recommendations to R&D leadership and project teams.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Cheminformatics, Computational Chemistry, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Significant experience (7+ years) in applying cheminformatics and computational chemistry techniques in pharmaceutical R&D.
• Expertise in machine learning techniques applied to chemical data.
• Proficiency with cheminformatics software packages (e.g., RDKit, Schrödinger) and programming languages (Python).
• Experience with chemical database management and query languages.
• Proven ability to lead research projects and work effectively in a remote , collaborative setting.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and significant equity options.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible working hours and a fully remote work environment.
• Generous professional development budget for conferences and training.
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects with a talented, globally distributed team.