Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Chemical Synthesis Advanced Therapeutics

Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Chemical Synthesis for Advanced Therapeutics

Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU

Contract & job type:
Full-time, Fixed-term for 18 months (depending on start date)

The Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery (Kavli INsD), established in March 2021, brings together over 30 faculty and 450 researchers across disciplines to tackle global health challenges. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and providing cutting‑edge facilities, it encourages innovation and shared discovery, and benefits from the close proximity of the scientific departments as well as advanced imaging and characterisation facilities and state‑of‑the‑art instrumentation.

At the Department of Physiology Anatomy & Genetics (DPAG) we undertake discovery science where we reassemble physiological processes at the molecular, cellular, tissue and systems level of organisation. In so doing we provide a bridge to translational medicine, and interface between physical and life sciences. We are committed not only to innovative research and the highest standard of teaching, but also to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment.

We are seeking to appoint two Postdoctoral Research Assistants to join Professor Dame Molly Stevens’s lab. The Stevens Group operates at the intersection of multiple disciplines, enabling highly collaborative and cross‑field research. The lab is based at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Discovery and is strategically affiliated with the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, as well as the Institute of Biomedical Engineering within the Department of Engineering Science.

The posts require complementary chemistry skills to support ongoing research in the development of biomaterials for advanced therapeutic and drug delivery applications. We are looking for talented chemists with broad expertise in synthesis and characterisation of polymers, small molecules, and/or soft materials for biomedical applications. The role is highly multidisciplinary involving collaboration with researchers working within the fields of materials science, bioengineering, chemistry and biology.

Successful candidates will engage with researchers both within the lab and across partner institutions, requiring strong organisational abilities to navigate complex, multi‑team projects.

This post is available immediately for a fixed‑term of 18 months (depending on start date), with the possibility of part‑time appointments being considered.

• Develop research questions and conduct research in the design and synthesis of innovative polymer‑based and nanoscale soft biomaterials for advanced therapeutic and drug delivery applications, including the analysis of detailed and complex qualitative and/or quantitative data from a variety of sources, and the generation of original ideas by building on existing concepts.
• Characterise materials and evaluate their structure–property relationships using appropriate analytical and physicochemical techniques to optimise material performance.
• Contribute to translation‑focused optimisation, including in vitro evaluation, bio‑ and immunocompatibility, and scalability.

• Hold, or be near to completion of, a PhD/DPhil in organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or related field.
• Experience in one of the following areas:
  Polymer chemistry – design and synthesis of polymers using living or controlled polymerisation methods, and/or synthesis of small molecules required for polymer synthesis such as monomers, initiators, chain‑transfer agents, cross‑linkers or other functional polymerisation reagents;
  OR Small‑molecule synthesis – synthesis of biologically active small molecules, therapeutically relevant molecules, stimuli‑responsive systems, bioorganic compounds and/or biomolecules such as peptides, amino acids, and carbohydrates.
• Experience in chemical characterisation techniques, for example gel permeation chromatography / size exclusion chromatography…