Director Computational Drug Design

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Job description

Exscientia Is a technology company that is committed to getting medicines to patients in the fastest and most effective manner. We do this by applying the latest research in Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and modern high-performance computational methods to transform drug design. Exscientia is at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven drug discovery and the only company to have used AI to design drug molecules that are currently in clinical studies.

We have a rapidly growing portfolio of drug discovery projects spanning across several therapeutic areas after years of forming partnerships with many leading pharmaceutical companies and research institutes. To continue our success story and bring even more drugs into the clinic, we are now looking to further expand our design team in Miami and have exciting roles to suit individuals from diverse backgrounds and various levels of experience.

As the Director of Computational Drug Design at Exscientia you will play a pivotal role in building our design team in Miami. Reporting directly to our Chief Drug Designer you will provide local leadership for our growing team of designers to achieve our core mission: making better drugs, faster. Of course you will also make a direct personal contribution, using your skills and our innovative AI methods to invent novel molecules across numerous projects with unprecedented productivity. You will be an integral member of design teams working collaboratively on diverse drug discovery programs alongside experienced medicinal chemists and biologists. Together you will advance our portfolio and regularly present results to stakeholders such as external partners as well as at meetings and conferences.

Technology is deeply integrated into our discovery processes and the feedback from our projects is constantly used to further develop our design platform and identify research priorities. You will therefore also have the opportunity to collaborate with world-class scientists and engineers from many different fields and help them to improve our technology with every design cycle.

This role is a great fit for an experienced scientist who is passionate about drug discovery and keen to use the most cutting-edge technology to design drugs and change peoples lives for the better. More than anything, you will bring drug discovery experience, affinity for technology and a knack for solving challenging problems.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING IN THIS ROLE?

* Lead and mentor the local team of Designers in Miami.
* Design potential drug molecules using cutting edge AI/ML and other computational methods.
* Continuously advance the Exscientia technology platform with your insights from projects through collaborations with researchers and engineers in the technology group.
* Take a leading role in technical discussions about your designs with external collaborators.
* Regularly present your work to peers, senior stakeholders and external customers.
* Learn about the latest advances in computational approaches to drug design and further develop your own research interests.

Requirements

* PhD or equivalent scientific expertise in cheminformatics, computational chemistry, bioinformatics, or a related field at the intersection of computing and drug discovery.
* Deep understanding of medicinal chemistry principles applied to drug discovery projects.
* Experience in applying computational chemistry and molecular modeling techniques to generate and test hypotheses on relationships between chemical structures and their activities.
* Practical data science experience to analyze large data sets and prioritize them using multi-parameter optimization techniques.
* Desire to continuously acquire new computational skills and increase your knowledge about the drug discovery process.
* Experience of line management and leading and motivating small teams.
* Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills: you will need to be able to communicate effectively with team members as well as external audiences having diverse professional backgrounds.

BENEFICIAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

* Keen interest in artificial intelligence and its application to drug discovery.
* Hands-on working experience in small molecule drug discovery projects and using computational methods to advance them to important milestones.
* Knowledge of pharmacokinetics and familiarity with ADME data.
* Experience applying machine learning methods for predictive modeling and generative molecule design.
* Ability to use programmatic toolkits and APIs to translate your ideas into results. Even better, you know how to code or are keen on extending your skillset with coding.

Benefits

Exscientia embraces equal opportunity and is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive community where everybody feels welcome. We welcome applications from all people regardless of background.

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* Making a positive contribution to patients by revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry through AI-driven discovery.
* Kick-start or further grow your career - at Exscientia, you will have the opportunity to acquire valuable skills, work on problems that matter, and learn from world-class technical and scientific leaders.
* Highly competitive compensation as we continue to grow and thrive.
* Funding for professional development and conference attendance.
* Opportunity to join an inclusive, collaborative and intellectually stimulating culture.
* Work from a brand new office [ in the heart of Miami - one of the most exciting places in the United States. We are just a block away from the waterfront, within walking distance of the Wynwood Art District and across the bridge from South Beach.

Exscientia embraces equal opportunity and is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive community where everybody feels welcome. We welcome applications from all people regardless of background.