Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Salary

£31,387 to £37,694 per annum, depending on skills and experience (minimum £35,608 with relevant PhD). Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Chemistry

University Park

Tuesday 07 April 2026

SCI
528326

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 the 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.

• 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.

• 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 in this vacancy, please complete your details and submit a copy of your CV through our online application system.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Chris Hayes, email:  Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.

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) and a holder of the Athena Swan Gold Award. We are committed to the aims of the Disability Confident Scheme and the Athena Swan initiative.

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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.