Postdoctoral Researcher in Drug Discovery – CLOSED 

Code: 003

Purpose of the position

The Center for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery (CIBFar), located at the Sao Carlos Institute of Physics of the University of Sao Paulo (USP), offers one (1) opportunity for a Postdoctoral researcher, with a FAPESP grant for up to 24 months.

The Research group from CIBFar has gathered to discover new innovative drugs for the treatment of tropical parasitic diseases in close collaboration with the leading international drug discovery organization – Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) – which has a significant track record in discovering and developing novel drug treatments for neglected patients. The researcher will be part of a multidisciplinary group of researchers in collaboration with DNDi, focusing on the discovery and optimization of new chemical entities for the treatment of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.

Specific job responsibilities

Successful candidates are expected to play a leading role within the drug discovery project and liaise closely with other drug discovery scientists (medicinal chemistry, parasitology, DMPK, safety, formulation), contributing to the overall project team. These roles offer opportunities to work in close collaboration with leading drug discovery scientists in academia and industry.

The selected postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for data generation and analysis within an international and multicentric drug discovery project. Activities are focused on the planning and execution of (i) in vitro phenotypic assays against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania, and (ii) in vitro pharmacokinetics and metabolism studies (solubility, permeability, organic phase/water partitioning, and metabolic stability).

 

Job requirements

Candidates should send a motivation letter to Prof. Adriano D. Andricopulo, Principal Investigator of the CIBFar/CEPID-FAPESP project (aandrico@ifsc.usp.br), and curriculum vitae including published papers attesting the capacity to carry out the project.

The Postdoctoral FAPESP fellowship grants a monthly amount of R$ 7,373.10 (Brazilian Real) and research contingency fund equivalent to 15% of the annual value of the fellowship, which is intended for use in developed activities strictly related to the research project, during its valid period. Financial support for travel and installation expenses may be requested for the selected applicant who lives out of Sao Paulo and the merit will be evaluated by FAPESP upon acceptance of the fellowship. The application deadline is October 30th, 2021, or until the position is filled. More information on the FAPESP Postdoctoral fellowship: www.fapesp.br/270

Skills and attributes

Successful candidates are expected to play a leading role within the drug discovery project and liaise closely with other drug discovery scientists (medicinal chemistry, parasitology, DMPK, safety, formulation), contributing to the overall project team.

Candidates must have a PhD degree obtained within the last 7 (seven) years, in Brazil or abroad, and extensive experience in conducting in vitro parasitology and/or in vitro pharmacokinetics/ADME assays. English fluency and ability to work in interdisciplinary teams are mandatory.