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Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals

Senior/Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

Brisbane, CAOnsiteFull TimePrincipalPosted 16 days agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

  • synthetic organic chemistry
  • medicinal chemistry
  • pharmaceutical
  • industrial experience
  • advanced leads
  • development candidates
  • biology
  • pharmacology
  • ADME concepts
  • series SAR

Nice to have

  • supervising direct reports
  • career development
  • process improvements
  • AI-integrated discovery engine
  • targeted protein degradation

Role summary

Nurix Therapeutics is seeking a Senior/Principal Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry with a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry and 8-10+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience. The role involves designing and synthesizing novel small molecules for targeted protein degradation, optimizing them for potency and efficacy, and collaborating with computational and structural biology teams. Responsibilities include leading drug discovery programs, contributing to patent and publication writing, and initiating process improvements. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of medicinal chemistry principles, biology, pharmacology, ADME, protein-ligand interactions, and computational tools, with proven leadership and problem-solving skills. Experience supervising direct reports is a plus.

Senior/Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

About the Position

We are seeking a talented and highly motivated individual with a strong background in synthetic organic chemistry to join our medicinal chemistry group in the pursuit of degrader-based small molecules to treat patients with unmet medical needs. This individual will design and synthesize novel chemical entities optimized for potency, selectivity, pharmacokinetics and in vivo efficacy, and will engage in rational structure-based drug discovery enabled by our computational and structural biology groups. As a member of a dynamic multi-disciplinary team, this person will collaborate with a broad group of scientists within Nurix and with external collaborators. Additionally, they will contribute to patent, report and scientific publication writing. Furthermore, they will initiate and/or lead process improvements within the chemistry department or cross-functionally.

Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry with 8 – 10+ years pharmaceutical medicinal chemistry industrial experience.
  • Track record of delivering advanced leads/ development candidates.
  • Excellent knowledge of medicinal chemistry principles with a solid understanding of the biology and pharmacology of programs, ADME concepts, and series SAR. Able to effectively integrate this knowledge to direct drug discovery programs to phase transitions or series go/no go decisions.
  • Strong working knowledge of protein-ligand interactions, conformational and structural analysis. Experienced in partnering closely with computational chemists in the use of computational tools, models and visualization applications.
  • Expert in organic synthesis, knowledgeable of the current literature, with strong synthetic problem-solving skills.
  • Proven leadership capability in a cross-functional team setting, either as project team leader or co-lead.
  • Ability to make inventive contributions towards new chemical target structures or templates for programs and evaluate early screening or literature hits.
  • Strong skills in gathering, documenting, and analyzing information from competitive sources such as patents and meetings and using this information to guide program strategy.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to present rationale, key data, issues and accomplishments to the company.
  • Experience supervising direct reports to a high level of productivity and mentoring for career development is a plus.
  • Ability to manage priorities and advance multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Strong evidence of conceptual thinking and active follow through, recognized by establishing new projects or new directions within projects, new strategies and/or enabling technologies for drug discovery.

    • Fit with Nurix Culture and Values

  • Strong team orientation; highly collaborative
  • Ability to function in a dynamic environment
  • Solutions and results-oriented focus
  • Hands-on approach; resourceful and open to diverse points of view

    • Location: Onsite – Brisbane, CA

    About Nurix Therapeutics

    Nurix Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, the next frontier in innovative drug design aimed at improving treatment options for patients with cancer and inflammatory diseases. Powered by a fully AI-integrated discovery engine capable of tackling any protein class, and coupled with unparalleled ligase expertise, Nurix’s dedicated team has built a formidable advantage in translating the science of targeted protein degradation into clinical advancements. Nurix aims to establish degrader-based treatments at the forefront of patient care, writing medicine’s next chapter with a new script to outmatch disease.

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