Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Chemistry (Machine Learning/COVID-19 Drug Discovery)

Posting Expiry

 

The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) has an exceptional opportunity available for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Chemistry (Machine Learning/COVID-19 Drug Discovery) to join Dr. Artem Cherkasov’s research team.

The Vancouver Prostate Centre

VPC has a large, multi-disciplinary research program that undertakes basic, clinic, and translational research. It is a National Centre of Excellence and a designated Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research. It is affiliated with the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Further details on VPC and its research programs are available at www.prostatecentre.com.

Cherkasov Lab

Professor Artem Cherkasov is looking for a talented Postdoctoral Research Fellow with a demonstrated research background in machine learning to join his computer-aided drug design group. The Postdoctoral Fellow will work on exciting drug discovery programs providing cutting-edge deep learning docking strategy-"Deep Docking"-to support structure-based and ligand-based virtual screening and lead optimization for SARS-COV-2 antivirals. Dr. Cherkasov (Professor, University of British Columbia) has recently been awarded four COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants and is collaborating with advanced computing companies to deploy machine learning to virtually screen 50B+ compounds for multiple COVID-19 therapeutic targets.

More information on Dr. Cherkasov and his team can be found here: www.prostatecentre.com/about-us/people/dr-art-cherkasov.

Qualifications and Requirements
  • PhD in Computational Chemistry or Computational Biochemistry.
  • Excellent problem solving and communication skills.
  • Research experience in developing machine learning methods for life science.
  • Strong deep learning programming experience with GPUs.
  • Statistical data analysis and database management skills.
  • Demonstrated experience using various programming languages including Python, BASH, Perl, AWK, and SVL.
  • Well-developed portfolio of open-source software available on GitHub
  • Solid background in computational chemistry, biological chemistry, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and pharmacokinetics.
  • Practical experience in structure-based and ligand-based drug design and compound library design.
  • Familiarity with state-of-the-art modeling and cheminformatics tools such as Molecular Operating Environment (MOE), Schrödinger, and OpenEye suite of programs.
Duties
  • Work with Dr. Cherkasov and collaborators to develop and/or apply cutting-edge computational approaches--Deep Docking--to screen 50B+ compounds for multiple SARS-CoV-2 viral targets.
  • Reading published papers and adapting procedures accordingly.
  • Liaising with collaborators and presenting research findings at international conferences.
  • Preparing manuscripts for submission to high impact journals.
  • Assisting with the creation of research proposals to be submitted to granting agencies.
Application Procedures

To apply for this position, please email careers@prostatecentre.com with subject line Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cherkasov Lab with the following items attached:

  • Current CV
  • cover letter

NOTE: No telephone calls or drop-in inquiries accepted. Only those under consideration will be contacted.