Uppsala University, Department of Medicinal Chemistry

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry conducts research in the field of drug development, which includes organic synthesis, drug design and pharmaceutical physical and analytical chemistry. The department is responsible for teaching drug-related subjects in several programs, for example in the pharmacist program and the prescription program. The department has about 85 employees and here doctoral students, teachers, researchers and administrators work closely together in a creative and open environment. More information about the department and its teaching is available at www.ilk.uu.se.

We are searching for a motivated, creative and enthusiastic PhD student who is interested in using synthetic organic chemistry to develop new antibiotics. The PhD student will be primarily supervised by Associate Senior Lecturer Lindon Moodie at the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, who is affiliated with the Uppsala Antibiotic Centre (UAC).

This position is partly funded by the Uppsala Antibiotic Center (UAC), and the recruited PhD student will be part of UAC’s graduate research school. UAC is a center for research, education, innovation & awareness founded in 2015 to bring together, stimulate and support important research on antibiotic resistance from all three disciplinary domains at Uppsala University: Medicine and Pharmacy, Science and Technology, and Humanities and Social Sciences. The doctoral student positions and graduate school are central parts of UAC with the goal of educating a new generation of researchers with broad knowledge and willingness to contribute to combating the problem of antibiotic resistance. For more information about UAC: www.uac.uu.se.

Project description: The emergence and progression of antimicrobial resistance against frontline antibiotics represents a significant threat towards society. To help overcome this, developing new antibiotic classes, which operate via novel modes of action, is paramount. The current project aims to address this by using synthetic organic chemistry to explore molecular structures with activity against priority Gram-negative pathogens. The project will be highly collaborative, involving organic and medicinal chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry and natural products chemistry. The PhD student will primarily focus on synthetic organic chemistry, but an interest in these collaborative areas is beneficial.

Requirements: The candidate should have, or expect to soon have, a Masters degree (or equivalent degree) in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacy or a related field. The applicant should ideally have a background in synthetic organic chemistry, and should be interested in applying these skills towards biologically orientated research problems.
Due to the collaborative nature of these projects, good communication and interpersonal skills are required. A high proficiency in spoken and written English is essential. The PhD student will also be expected to actively and enthusiastically participate in teaching.

Merits: Research experience in small molecule anti-infective drug development is highly desirable. Experience with peptidomimetics is also seen as a merit. Interest in education and the ability to teach in Swedish is considered beneficial. 

Information about postgraduate studies, including eligibility requirements and admission rules, can be found at Doctoral level programmes within Medicine and Pharmacy. The holder of a PhD-student position shall primarily devote her or his time to own research studies. Other departmental work, such as educational or administrative duties, can be part of the position (max 20%). Of time spent on other work duties, the time for research will be extended to correspond to 4 years full-time studies.

Applicants will be ranked by the supervisor in consultation with the Department Research Education group. We aim to recruit a student who is judged most suitable to carry out and develop the current position, and will contribute positively to the development of the department. The Committee for Research Education at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy will admit the PhD student.

For employment to be possible, it is required that the candidate is either already accepted or will be accepted for our research education program.

Application: The application should be written in English and include the following documents: 

  • Personal letter with a short description of you and why you are interested in the position, including also a short summary of your experience and expertise in the research area and teamwork (max 2 pages)
  • A summary of your research experiences (max 2 pages)
  • CV, which includes contact information, information about language skills, information about education and past work experiences
  • Copy of Master thesis
  • Authorized copies of documented education
  • Contact information to two persons to act as references

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students.

Starting date: 1 September 2021 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 §§ 1-7.

Scope of employment: 100 %

Further information about the position: Assistant Professor Lindon Moodie, lindon.moodie@ilk.uu.se.

Further information about the employment: Head of Department Anders Karlén, anders.karlen@ilk.uu.se.

Please submit your application by June 18 2021, UFV-PA 2021/2213.

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
First day of employment 1 September 2021
Salary Fixed salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100 %
City Uppsala
County Uppsala län
Country Sweden
Reference number UFV-PA 2021/2213
Union representative
  • ST/TCO, tco@fackorg.uu.se
  • Seko Universitetsklubben, seko@uadm.uu.se
  • Saco-rådet, saco@uadm.uu.se
Published 27.May.2021
Last application date 18.Jun.2021 11:59 PM CEST

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