Postdoctoral Position in Organic Chemistry

Postdoctoral Position in Organic Chemistry

SDU - University of Southern Denmark

Odense, Denmark

Job Description

The Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense invites applications for a postdoctoral position embedded in the laboratories of the Section of Chemistry as part of a Novo Nordisk Foundation project on the semi-synthesis of pleuromutilin derivatives as new antibiotics.

The research group is specialized in the synthesis of antibiotics as well modified nucleic acids and has access to state-of-the-art facilities within synthesis, purification and spectroscopy. Our lab is strongly engaged in on-site collaborations with colleagues from theoretical chemistry, pharmacy and clinical microbiology.

We are seeking an experienced organic chemist for a one-year postdoctoral position focused on the design and semi-synthesis of novel antibacterial agents. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team working to combat multi-resistant Gram-negative infections (CREs and 3GCs) through innovative chemical strategies.

The postdoctoral project is part of our current activities on developing new antibiotics based on pleuromutilins. The goal of this project is to identify a hit compound specifically targeting multi-resistant Gram-negative pathogens by introducing new modifications to the natural product Pleuromutilin. This will involve semi-synthetic approaches to generate derivatives with improved activity and decreased resistance potential.

The ideal candidate has the following competences and skills

• A Ph.D. in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry or related disciplines;
• Strong expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, including multi-step synthesis;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (English) for effective teamwork across disciplines.

Additional valuable skills:

• Experience with medicinal chemistry principles;
• Knowledge of structure–activity relationships (SAR) and antibacterial drug design;
• Hands-on experience with purification and analytical techniques.