Research Fellow in Chemistry (University of Nottingham)

Area Chemistry Location University Park Salary £31,387 to £37,694 per annum, depending on skills and experience (minimum £35608 with relevant PhD). Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance. Closing Date Tuesday 07 April 2026 Reference SCI528326 We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, to work on a drug discovery under the supervision of Professor Christopher J. Hayes, working in close collaboration with Professor J. David Brook (School of Life Sciences, Nottingham) as part of the wider Myotonic Dystrophy drug discovery team. Myotonic dystrophy is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults and affects about one in 8,000 people. It is a long-term genetic disorder that affects muscle function, and there is currently no treatment available. The project will develop novel kinase inhibitors to treat myotonic dystrophy. This exciting project is a collaboration between researchers based in the Schools of Chemistry, and Life Sciences at University of Nottingham and the University of Oxford. Candidates should have experience of multi-step synthetic organic chemistry and (preferably) its application to Medicinal Chemistry/Drug Discovery. The successful candidate will carry out the following duties Undertake the design and synthesis of a range of novel kinase inhibitors as directed by Professor Chris Hayes. Synthesise sufficient quantity of materials to provide samples for evaluation of their efficacy and drug-like properties by collaborators in the Schools of Life Science and other project partners. Prepare high quality supporting data for patent applications and publications resulting from the project. Liaise with academic collaborators, contribute to the supervision of student projects and to the maintenance and smooth running of the research laboratory. Successful candidates will Have a first degree in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry or closely related discipline. Hold a PhD (or be in process of submission) in medicinal chemistry or synthetic organic chemistry. Be available to take up the post from the 1st April 2026. Have a track record of productivity in medicinal chemistry or synthetic organic chemistry. Have excellent organisational, communication and team working skills. This post is available from 1st April 2026 and is fixed term until 31/12/2026. If you are interested about this vacancy, please click 'apply now', complete your details and submit a copy of your CV. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Chris Hayes, email: Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted. Information about the School of Chemistry may be found at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry. Further details Job Description/Role Profile Our university is a supportive, inclusive, caring and positive community. We welcome those of different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs – indeed this very diversity is vital to our success, it is fundamental to our values and enriches life on campus. Visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion website. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) employer. Increasing the diversity of our community is extremely important to us and we are committed to the aims of Disability Confident Scheme. We are the first university to have achieved Athena Swan Gold Award. To help you succeed, we published Candidate Guidance to provide support on the application and interview process. Discover our benefits, visit Your Benefits website. We welcome applications from UK, Europe and worldwide and aim to make your move to the UK as smooth as possible. Visit the Moving to Nottingham page for details. Your application will be considered on an equal basis, subject to the relevant permission to work in the UK as set out by UK Visas & Immigration. View All Vacancies If you apply for this position please say you saw it on Physicaloxy

Area
Chemistry

Location
University Park

Salary
£31,387 to £37,694 per annum, depending on skills and experience (minimum £35608 with relevant PhD). Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Closing Date
Tuesday 07 April 2026

Reference
SCI528326

We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, to work on a drug discovery under the supervision of Professor Christopher J. Hayes, working in close collaboration with Professor J. David Brook (School of Life Sciences, Nottingham) as part of the wider Myotonic Dystrophy drug discovery team.

Myotonic dystrophy is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults and affects about one in 8,000 people. It is a long-term genetic disorder that affects muscle function, and there is currently no treatment available. The project will develop novel kinase inhibitors to treat myotonic dystrophy. This exciting project is a collaboration between researchers based in the Schools of Chemistry, and Life Sciences at University of Nottingham and the University of Oxford.

Candidates should have experience of multi-step synthetic organic chemistry and (preferably) its application to Medicinal Chemistry/Drug Discovery.

The successful candidate will carry out the following duties

Undertake the design and synthesis of a range of novel kinase inhibitors as directed by Professor Chris Hayes.
Synthesise sufficient quantity of materials to provide samples for evaluation of their efficacy and drug-like properties by collaborators in the Schools of Life Science and other project partners.
Prepare high quality supporting data for patent applications and publications resulting from the project.
Liaise with academic collaborators, contribute to the supervision of student projects and to the maintenance and smooth running of the research laboratory.

Successful candidates will

Have a first degree in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry or closely related discipline.
Hold a PhD (or be in process of submission) in medicinal chemistry or synthetic organic chemistry.
Be available to take up the post from the 1st April 2026.
Have a track record of productivity in medicinal chemistry or synthetic organic chemistry.
Have excellent organisational, communication and team working skills.

This post is available from 1st April 2026 and is fixed term until 31/12/2026.

If you are interested about this vacancy, please click 'apply now', complete your details and submit a copy of your CV.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Chris Hayes, email:
Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted. Information about the School of Chemistry may be found at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry.

Further details

Job Description/Role Profile

Our university is a supportive, inclusive, caring and positive community. We welcome those of different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs – indeed this very diversity is vital to our success, it is fundamental to our values and enriches life on campus. Visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion website.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) employer. Increasing the diversity of our community is extremely important to us and we are committed to the aims of Disability Confident Scheme.

We are the first university to have achieved Athena Swan Gold Award.

To help you succeed, we published Candidate Guidance to provide support on the application and interview process.

Discover our benefits, visit Your Benefits website.

We welcome applications from UK, Europe and worldwide and aim to make your move to the UK as smooth as possible. Visit the Moving to Nottingham page for details.

Your application will be considered on an equal basis, subject to the relevant permission to work in the UK as set out by UK Visas & Immigration.

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If you apply for this position please say you saw it on Physicaloxy

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