Postdoctoral Research Associate in Medicinal Chemistry

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Medicinal Chemistry

Job id: 161585
Salary: £45,031 - £47,379 per annum inclusive of London weighting allowance.
Posted: 26 October 2026
Closing date: 08 November 2026
Business unit: Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine
Department: Institute of Pharmaceutical Science
Contact details: Professor Miraz Rahman. k.miraz.rahman@kcl.ac.uk
Location: Waterloo Campus
Category: Research

About us

King’s College London is a world-leading Russell Group university with an outstanding international reputation for research and education. This post will be based in the Drug Discovery Department within the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and will form part of a multidisciplinary collaboration between Professor Miraz Rahman and Professor Julian Naglik in the Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions. The project brings together complementary expertise in medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, fungal pathogenesis and host–pathogen interactions, providing an excellent environment for collaborative and translational research.

About The Role

Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen that can cause severe morbidity and life-threatening infection. A key virulence factor is candidalysin, a peptide toxin secreted by C. albicans hyphae that drives epithelial damage, cell activation and mucosal inflammation.

The postdoctoral researcher will play a central role in the discovery and optimisation of peptide and peptidomimetic inhibitors that neutralise candidalysin activity. The role will focus on the design, synthesis, purification and characterisation of inhibitor series, working within an iterative medicinal chemistry programme informed by computational modelling, biophysical measurements and biological activity.

The researcher will develop and optimise synthetic routes, undertake parallel synthesis where appropriate, and scale up selected compounds for detailed biophysical and biological evaluation. They will use analytical and preparative HPLC, LC-MS, NMR and other appropriate techniques to confirm compound identity, purity and quality. A major part of the role will be to interpret emerging structure–activity relationships and use experimental data to guide subsequent inhibitor design.

The researcher will work closely with the computational chemist and with Professor Julian Naglik’s team, who will evaluate inhibitor activity in relevant biological models. This close integration of chemistry, modelling, biophysics and infection biology will support rapid prioritisation and optimisation of compounds with the greatest therapeutic potential.

The post is particularly suited to a synthetic organic or medicinal chemist with strong practical experience in compound synthesis and characterisation. Previous experience in peptide or peptidomimetic chemistry would be advantageous but is not essential.

The researcher will be funded by the BBSRC and based in the laboratory of Professor Miraz Rahman at King’s College London, where they will undertake independent, original research within a multidisciplinary drug-discovery programme.

This is a full time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract until 31st December 2028.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

1. PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Organic Chemistry or a closely related discipline (candidates who have recently submitted their PhD thesis are eligible to apply).
2. Research experience in synthetic medicinal chemistry, with demonstrated expertise in the design and synthesis of bioactive molecules.
3. Knowledge and practical experience of compound characterisation using NMR, mass spectrometry, HPLC and other appropriate analytical techniques.
4. Experience in analytical and preparative HPLC/LC-MS methods for purification, characterisation and quality assessment of synthetic compounds.
5. Track record of high-quality research, including publications in peer-reviewed journals of international standing.
6. Experience in medicinal chemistry optimisation, including generation and interpretation of structure–activity relationships and iterative design–make–test cycles.
7. Excellent organisational, communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary research team.

Desirable Criteria:

1. Experience in chemistry laboratory management, including electronic inventory maintenance.
2. Record of presenting scientific research at national and/or international conferences.
3. Experience in operating and maintaining LC-MS systems.
4. Excellent interpersonal skills.
5. Record of supervising, appraising, coaching and mentoring research students.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held in November/December.