Junior Research Fellow: Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics (E230265) at University of Cape Town

The Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre is an interdisciplinary, soft-funded research unit at the University of Cape Town (UCT). H3D staff and laboratories are situated across three sites on the UCT Campus. H3D is seeking to appoint a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) on a 3-year contract as soon as possible. Funding for this position is provided by the Carnegie Developing Emerging Academic Leaders (DEAL) programme. The applicant must be a South African citizen. This position will be predominantly laboratory-based and will involve conducting research in Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics aspects for the progression of compounds through the drug discovery cascade.
Requirements for the job

• PhD in pharmacology, biological sciences or related discipline
• Must have at least two years of postdoctoral research experience in drug discovery
• Established skills in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) and pharmacometric modelling
• Bench experience in in vitro and in vivo DMPK experiments and LC-MS analysis

Advantages

• A track record of publications in pharmacology/pharmacometrics or related research
• Experience mentoring students at the Honours or Master’s level
• Hands-on experience in the use and maintenance of AB Sciex and/or Agilent LC-MS systems
• Demonstrated competence in working with cellular biology assays or animal models of pharmacokinetics /efficacy
• Demonstrated experience with pharmacometric modelling, human pharmacokinetics (PK), or human dose predictions.
• The candidate should be independent and self-motivated as they will be expected to play a leading role withinthe project.

Responsibilities

• Design, conduct and oversee cellular biology assays, animal models of PK/efficacy, pharmacometric modelling and human dose predictions
• Participate and present work in project meetings and write research reports
• Comply with standard operating procedures for laboratory safety, use of instruments and data management
• Participation in teaching and postgraduate (co-)supervision/mentoring
• Take initiative and discuss/develop their own ideas including writing well-formulated reports
• Publishing at least 2 papers in academic journals within the period of tenure; Conduct 1 international university visit or 1 conference presentation per year
• Assist in the identification of research funding opportunities, and co-author research grants
• Commit to joining the emerging researcher programme at UCT.