University of Cape Town Post-doctoral Scholarships For Drug Discovery

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DRUG DISCOVERY

Proposals on 2nd Drug Discovery Call is Open - Grand Challenges Africa Round 10

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS), through its Grand Challenges Africa programme, The Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) came together in 2018 to expand and strengthen the drug discovery community in Africa. The University of Cape Town has open positions for following:

1. POST DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY

Post-doctoral fellowships are being offered in the University of Cape Town’s Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) housed in the Department of Chemistry building. The successful applicants will join a consortium that is being funded from various sources with a special focus on conducting integrated drug discovery, specifically integrating medicinal chemistry, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), and pre-clinical pharmacology. This programme will be under the guidance of senior medicinal chemists within H3D, who will act as mentors and supervisors. The research focus for these postdoctoral fellowships will be synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry and, with guidance, you will learn to use and apply data from DMPK and biological studies to design and synthesize potential drug leads for malaria and other infectious diseases.

Period: One year in the first instance, renewable for up to two further years, contingent on satisfactory progress and the availability of funds.

The value of the Fellowship: R250 000 – R350 000 (depending on funding, seniority and experience).

Knowledge, skills and abilities required:

• The successful applicants must have achieved a PhD degree in synthetic organic chemistry or medicinal chemistry within the past 5 years - and have not yet held any permanent professional posts (specifically as academics)
• The successful applicants must be prepared to comply with the University's approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoral sector.

Application Process:

A letter of application (stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience), a CV (no more than two pages), a list of publications, copies of academic transcripts as well as names/contact details of two academics who have taught, supervised or worked alongside the applicant should be addressed to Professor Kelly Chibale, Director of H3D, Department of Chemistry & Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, via his assistant Elaine Rutherfoord-Jones. Eligible and complete applications will be considered by the Director of the Unit and a sub-committee. The successful applicant must ideally be available to commence with the Fellowship as soon as possible.

• Email: Elaine.[email protected]
• Phone: +27 21 650 5495
• Website: http://www.h3d.uct.ac.za

The University of Cape Town reserves the right to disqualify ineligible, incomplete and/or inappropriate applications and the right to change the conditions of award or to make no awards at all.

2. POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP IN TUBERCULOSIS DRUG DISCOVERY WITH A FOCUS ON MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS BIOLOGY

A post-doctoral fellowship is being offered in the Tuberculosis Biology group of the Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town, based in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM). This fellowship will be under the supervision of Dr Vinayak Singh. The fellowship will be to work on high-priority drug-discovery research projects that are at an advanced stage. The projects will involve deconvolution of the mechanism of action of novel drug-like small molecules in order to identify and validate novel drug targets by exploring metabolic pathways. The fellow will also have an opportunity to contribute in both phenotypic and target-based screening.

Period: One year, renewable contingent on satisfactory progress and the availability of funds.

The value of the Fellowship: Minimum R290 000 depending on experience.

Knowledge, skills and abilities required:

• The successful applicant must have achieved a PhD degree in Life Sciences/Microbiology/Biochemistry/Biotechnology/Cell Biology or related field within the past 5 years - and have not yet held any permanent professional posts (specifically as academics)
• The candidate should have experience in basic and advanced techniques of: Microbiology (both BSL2 and BSL3) involving Mycobacterium tuberculosis, molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry – with a proven track record of publications.
• The candidate should be independent and self-motivated as they will be expected to play a leading role within the project. They will also be required to take initiative and discuss/develop their own ideas including writing well-formulated reports and articles.
• The successful applicant must be prepared to comply with the University's approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoralsector.

Application Process: A letter of application (stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience), a CV (no more than two pages), a list of publications, copies of academic transcripts as well as names/contact details of two academics who have taught, supervised or worked alongside the applicant should be addressed to Director of H3D and send to Ms Elaine Rutherfoord-Jones by the 15th June 2020. Eligible and complete applications will be considered by a sub-committee. Short-listed candidates will be invited to present a seminar. The successful applicant should ideally be available to commence with the Fellowship as soon as UCT reopens after lockdown for postgraduate research activity. In exceptional cases, the start date can be negotiated.

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +27 21 650 5495
• Website:-http://www.h3d.uct.ac.za

The University of Cape Town reserves the right to disqualify ineligible, incomplete and/or inappropriate applications and the right to change the conditions of award or to make no awards at all. UCT is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf.

3. POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP IN ANTIMICROBIAL DRUG DISCOVERY WITH A FOCUS ON KLEBSIELLA AND ACINETOBACTOR BIOLOGY

A post-doctoral fellowship is being offered in the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Biology group of the Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town, based in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM). This fellowship will be under the supervision of Dr Vinayak Singh. The fellowship will provide an opportunity to establish/optimize various assays for AMR related projects. The projects will involve deconvolution of the mechanism of action of novel drug-like small molecules and/or natural products in order to identify and validate novel drug targets. The fellow will also have an opportunity to contribute in both phenotypic and target-based screening.

Period: One year, renewable contingent on satisfactory progress and the availability of funds.

The value of the Fellowship: Minimum R290 000 depending on experience.

Knowledge, skills and abilities required:

• The successful applicant must have achieved a PhD degree in Life Sciences/Microbiology/Biochemistry/ Biotechnology/ Cell Biology or related field within the past 5 years - and have not yet held any permanent professional posts (specifically as academics)
• The candidate should have experience in basic and advanced techniques of: Microbiology involving ESKAPE pathogens (Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli), molecular biology and cell biology with a proven track record of publications. Biochemistry experience would be a plus.
• The candidate should be independent and self-motivated as they will be expected to play a leading role within the project. They will expected to take initiative, discuss/develop their own ideas and write well-formulated reports and articles.
• The successful applicant must be prepared to comply with the University's approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoralsector.

Application Process: A letter of application (stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience), a CV (no more than two pages), a list of publications, copies of academic transcripts as well as names/contact details of two academics who have taught, supervised or worked alongside the applicant should be addressed to Director of H3D and send to Ms Elaine Rutherfoord-Jones by the 15th June 2020. Eligible and complete applications will be considered by a sub-committee. Short-listed candidates will be invited to present a seminar. The successful applicant should ideally be available to commence with the Fellowship as soon as UCT reopens after lockdown for postgraduate research activity. In exceptional cases, the start date can be negotiated.

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +27 21 650 5495
• Website:-http://www.h3d.uct.ac.za

The University of Cape Town reserves the right to disqualify ineligible, incomplete and/or inappropriate applications and the right to change the conditions of award or to make no awards at all. UCT is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf.

Staff Writer

This article was written and edited by a staff writer.