Junior Specialist- Arkin Lab (SMDC)
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
University of California, San Francisco

The Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry is seeking a committed and enthusiastic scientist with a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent degree) to work in UCSF’s Small Molecule Discovery Center (SMDC) as a Specialist at the Junior rank. The Junior Specialist role in the SMDC is to provide support to the senior students and researchers in the lab while learning techniques used in drug discovery. The primary duty of the successful applicant will be to synthesize and characterize compounds to be used in screening of novel biological targets. Hits from these screens will be used to develop new therapeutics for cancer and neurodegenerative disease.

The successful candidate will participate in our team-based organization consisting of multiple disciplines (chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics). Excellent communication skills are thus desirable. Other duties may include small compound library synthesis, bioinformatics, and collaboration with external investigators.

The SMDC is a dynamic research environment, with collaborations in academia, industry, and government-run consortia. Chemistry plays a central role in research at the SMDC, and a vital part of this position involves collaborating with a wide range of biologists, bioinformatics, engineers and principal investigators.

Required Qualifications:
• Junior Specialist: A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent degree) at the time of hire. Candidate’s CV or cover letter must state qualifications (or if pending) upon submission.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Strong desire to learn new things and become a valuable member of a strong team of scientists
• Ability to learn quickly and ask many questions
• Experience with Bruker NMR spectrometer
• Experience synthesizing and purifying small molecules
• Experience with multi-disciplinary scientific teams
• Experience with Web-based Bioinformatics systems

Please apply online at https://aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF03570, with a CV, cover letter, and three reference contacts.

UC San Francisco seeks candidates whose experience, teaching, research, or community service that has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.