PhD student in Molecular Pharmaceutics at the Department of Pharmacy - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Pharmacy offers an interdisciplinary environment at the center of the pharmaceutical arena. With frontline research, first-rate education and extensive collaborations we constitute an important driving force in the development of our academic field. In this inspiring environment our rich diversity of research groups, several of international prominence, develop and conduct work of great scientific importance. Among our core competences are in vitro ADME models, enabling formulations, advanced in vivo methods, computational modelling and simulations, as well as patient and societal aspects, from optimizing the use of drugs in individuals to societal pharmaceutical policies. Together, we form a unique cluster of academic competences within pharmaceutical science, playing a key role in shaping the future of pharmacy in both Sweden and globally.

The research group: The PhD student will be linked to the research group Molecular Pharmaceutics. The group takes a multidisciplinary approach and combines computational chemistry and bioinformatics with cell- and molecular biology, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutics and physical chemistry to find new ways to predict and define rate-limiting barriers to the absorption and organ distribution of different types of drugs. We anticipate that our research will provide insights into new mechanisms for drug absorption, disposition and delivery, which will support development of new therapeutic strategies for efficient oral drug delivery. More information at Bergström. The position is funded jointly by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV and VLAIO, the Flemish Government Innovation Agency, and the recruited PhD student will spend part of the research time on the Janssen site in Belgium, actively engaging with Janssen scientists.

The project: the PhD student will work within the project Self-learning AI models for Systematic high-throughput Testing of drug Absorption Risks (project STAR). The overall goal of the PhD project is to develop a new ab initio virtual environment for high throughput in silico screening of drug absorption risk screening at various lead optimization (LO) and late lead optimization (LLO) stages to expedite the selection of the best NME drug candidates. Focus is set on the role of solubility for which big datasets will be used to develop predictive algorithms. We foresee self-learned machines that predict important input parameters for absorption modelling based on molecular descriptors. The envisioned final models do not need any manual interaction with expert data scientists and enable automated decision making on drug absorption risk based on input from an artificial intelligence driven algorithm. The project will be partly conducted at Janssen Pharmaceutica in Belgium.

Focus areas of the PhD studies: Molecular pharmaceutics, Drug delivery, Solubility, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence.

Qualifications: Applications from highly motivated candidates are welcome. The successful candidate should have a Master of Science in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Modelling, Engineering Physics, Chemical/biochemical engineering, or similarly relevant field, and have good communication skills in oral and written English. Previous experience of any of the core subjects (machine learning, statistics, programming, computational modelling) are meritorious. Information about postgraduate studies, including eligibility requirements and admission rules, can be found at Medicine and Pharmacy PhD Studies. 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.

How to apply: The application should contain a letter in which the applicant describes her- or himself, motivates why she/he has applied for the position, states relevant qualifications and indicates research interests and plans for the future. It must contain a CV including at least two references, authorized copies of relevant certificates, degrees and grades, and copies of your master thesis and other documents, such as publications, that you want to invoke.

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: 30-08-2021 or as otherwise agreed.

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

Scope of employment: 100 %

For further information about the position please contact: Ass Professor Per Larsson, tel 018-471 5396, e-post: per.r.larsson@uu.se.

Please submit your application by 2 August 2021, UFV-PA 2021/2848.

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