Research Associate in Inorganic Chemistry

PIONEER (PProgrammable In-Organelle Nucleic-acid Entry, Expression and Retention) is an ambitious UK research consortium from Imperial College London, the University of Bristol and the University of Glasgow. The consortium is funded through the UK’s Advanced Research and Innovation Agency’s (ARIA) Precision Mitochondria programme and aims to build, from end to end, the ability to engineer the genome of mitochondria – the energy‑producing compartments inside our cells.

The project seeks to deliver large pieces of synthetic mitochondrial DNA across the mitochondria’s double membrane, switch on new genes inside, and maintain those changes over time, ultimately demonstrating successful mitochondrial genome engineering in vivo for fundamental research and future therapies against mitochondrial disease.

It brings together leaders in nanomaterials, drug delivery, synthetic chemistry, AI‑driven materials discovery, genome engineering, biophysics and genetics. The research environment is designed for early career researchers to collaborate fluidly across disciplines.

Your primary focus will be the design and multi‑step synthesis of functional polymerisable monomers – the ‘molecular LEGO’ building blocks of our stimuli‑responsive nanogel platform. You will work closely with a high‑throughput nanogel synthesis team and our computational collaborators to feed a closed‑loop Bayesian optimisation cycle with chemically diverse, well‑characterised building blocks. Your synthetic outputs will directly shape the machine learning model and biological screening results.

You will also contribute to spin‑labelled monomer derivatives for EPR‑based delivery verification – a key metrology strand of the programme. This is an opportunity to do translational organic chemistry directly tied to a cutting‑edge mitochondrial medicine platform.

We are looking for an organic chemist with a strong track record in multi‑step synthesis and a passion for working at the chemistry–biology interface. Key attributes include:

• A PhD in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry or a closely related discipline (or equivalent research/industrial experience)
• Demonstrated experience in multi‑step organic synthesis, retrosynthetic planning and optimisation of synthetic routes
• Proficiency in full analytical characterisation by NMR, HRMS, HPLC and IR spectroscopy
• Experience with stimuli‑responsive chemistries (desirable)
• Experience or interest in polymer chemistry, nanoparticle design or functional materials (desirable)
• A collaborative, creative mindset and the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries in a large consortium environment

This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of cutting‑edge organic synthesis, AI‑driven materials discovery and mitochondrial medicine within a world‑class research consortium. In addition, we offer:

• A large programme‑level investment, giving you the resources, infrastructure and collaborative network to deliver genuinely frontier chemistry over a 3‑year fixed‑term contract.
• Access to state‑of‑the‑art automated synthesis infrastructure (high‑throughput instruments and suite), advanced characterisation facilities and a directly embedded computational design team for closed‑loop optimisation of your synthetic outputs.
• Regular interaction with a diverse consortium spanning chemistry, biophysics, AI/ML, genome engineering and single‑cell genetics, with programme‑wide away days and interdisciplinary seminars designed to broaden your scientific horizons.
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world‑leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Sector‑leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes).
• A diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with staff networks and resources to support personal and professional wellbeing.

• The position is fixed term, full time, for 3 years.
• Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant grade.
• This post is part of an ARIA‑funded project, subject to contract negotiations.