Accelerated Discovery and Development of New Medicines

A University of Strathclyde - University of Nottingham - GSK Partnership

The Universities of Strathclyde and Nottingham are pleased to announce an EPSRC-funded partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on the Accelerated Discovery & Development of New Medicines.

Driven by Strathclyde and Nottingham’s world-leading research expertise, and informed by GSK’s Innovation, Performance and Trust agenda, this 5-year programme will build on the existing collaborations between the three partners, to deliver a new suite of methods and approaches that tackle the major challenges in the discovery, development, and manufacture of medicines. Our vision is to enable the production of novel, transformative medicines at lower costs, with reduced waste production and shorter manufacturing times.

The programme is based around 4 Themes addressing these key research challenges:

1. Developing and applying AI and machine learning to the efficient identification of next generation medicines.
2. Designing and developing the next generation of catalysts and synthetic methods to facilitate more effective preparation of new drug-like molecules.
3. Utilising sustainable processes that can transition from grams to kilogrammes.
4. Enabling the digital manufacturing of pharmaceutical processing equipment using additive manufacturing technologies.

The partnership will not only connect research excellence between the three project partners, but will also integrate the multiple disciplines aligned with the programme through collaboration between the research Themes. These enhanced levels of connectivity will deliver new science across the pharmaceutical continuum, and lead to the faster development of transformative medicines to help people do more, feel better and live longer.

In order to deliver on this ambitious goal, over the course of the partnership we are seeking to recruit up to 10 postdoctoral Research Fellows/Associates to work in the themes above. The appointed researchers will join a partnership team comprising 23 academic scientists at Strathclyde and Nottingham, along with over 20 GSK scientists. During the course of the programme, over 50 PhD students, funded by GSK and the two partner universities, will augment the research team.

Each postdoctoral researcher will be based at one of the two academic institutions, and will work closely with scientists from GSK and the other partner university to ensure that the novel science that is developed is effectively translated into the pharmaceutical industry. As part of this, the opportunity for research secondments into the other partners will be available to all postdoctoral researchers.

As part of the programme detailed above, we are currently seeking applications for the following roles:

Research Associate/Fellow in Computational Chemistry (University of Strathclyde)

In this role, in the research group of Dr David Palmer, you will focus on improving the accuracy of computational predictions of physicochemical and ADMET properties utilising new advances in artificial intelligence and statistical mechanics theories of solvation, and then applying these techniques within specific medicinal chemistry programmes to design drug-like molecules.  

If you would like to apply your knowledge to accelerate discovery and development of new medicines for patients, whilst also receiving training from three world-class academic and pharmaceutical institutions in an integrated programme from discovery to manufacturing, then apply to this programme.

GSK, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Strathclyde are proud to promote an open culture, encouraging people to be themselves and giving ideas a chance to flourish. We are equal opportunities employers and welcome applications regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, country of origin, or country of application.

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr David Palmer, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry (david.palmer@strath.ac.uk / 0141 548 4178). 

Formal interviews for this post will be advised in due course. 

Click here for full details