Scientist II or Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

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Location: Full-time in our Santa Cruz Office.  

Reports To: Mark Vander Wal, Director of Medicinal Chemistry

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

About Unnatural Products

Unnatural Products (UNP) is an integrated biotech company at the forefront of macrocyclic peptide drug discovery. Our mission is delivering first-in-class macrocycle therapeutics for diseases with high unmet medical need. UNP's platform couples machine learning-based in silico tools with direct-to-biology parallel peptide chemistry to enable the discovery and rapid optimization of non-natural macrocyclic peptides directed toward extracellular and intracellular targets.

Based in Santa Cruz, CA, we are a passionate team of scientists and operators doing high-quality science in a beautiful setting—where innovation and work-life balance go hand in hand.

The Role

UNP is seeking a Scientist II/Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry that can apply contemporary macrocyclic peptide synthesis strategies and new methodologies to support our pipeline and discovery platform as we define and create the next generation bRo5 drugs. The successful candidate will leverage their expertise in solid phase peptide synthesis and medicinal chemistry to contribute to hit finding, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization processes. They will interact daily with our data science and computational group for interpretation and design, our biology and pharmacology group to develop assay workflows for in vivo translation, and our platform chemistry group to push the boundaries of what is possible with parallel chemistry and library syntheses.

What the Role Involves

  • Design, synthesize, and purify macrocyclic peptides from sub-mg to gram scales

  • Employ automated peptide synthesizers as well as UNP's proprietary parallel synthetic platform

  • Optimize synthesis and purification workflows to enable quick and efficient peptide syntheses

  • Propose and employ novel synthetic routes to overcome synthetic challenges

  • Collaborate with other medicinal chemists to interpret SAR, develop design hypotheses, and generate high-quality chemical matter

  • Contribute to UNP and CRO chemistry workflows and coordination

  • Mentor junior colleagues in medicinal chemistry principles and best practices, synthetic activity prioritization, and time management

  • Work closely with the biology, software, and de-novo teams to coordinate research activities and execute against project goals

  • Communicate results to internal teams and managers in the form of presentations, reports, and ad-hoc meetings or calls

  • Contribute to the development of UNP's proprietary parallel synthetic platform

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in Chemistry or related field with 2+ years (Scientist II) or 5+ years (Senior Scientist) of relevant industry experience, or an M.S. in Chemistry with 10+ years of relevant industry experience

  • Significant experience synthesizing peptide macrocycles on solid phase resin

  • Experience with peptide design, including SAR studies and scaffold optimization

  • Experience with peptide library design and synthesis, including split and pool library synthesis, and library synthesis with non-canonical amino acids

  • Proficient in peptide purification techniques, including using HPLC/flash chromatography/SPE

  • Experience with analytical methods, including HPLC/LC-MS and NMR

  • Strong oral and written communication skills and ability to deliver clear and concise presentations of data and interpretations

  • Highly self-motivated and proactive when it comes to identifying and solving problems and helping team members

  • Accountable, meticulous with attention to detail, and able to multitask

  • Must be willing to work onsite, Monday-Friday, 5 days per week

Additional Experience Preferred:

  • Experience with peptide synthesis at medium scale (100mg-5g) and above

  • Experience managing or mentoring junior colleagues

  • Previous CRO management experience

  • Prior experience with bRo5 drug design (macrocycles, PROTACs, large, small molecules, etc.)

  • Experience with organic synthesis, including transition metal catalysis and synthesis of non-canonical amino acids

  • Experience with structure-based drug design and medicinal chemistry principles

Why Join Us?

You will have an opportunity to help shape the future of a company on the rise. As a Scientist II/Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry, you will have the ability to help define and shape the next generation of peptide drugs. We value integrity, transparency, curiosity, and a collaborative spirit. If you are passionate about peptides and medicinal chemistry and are highly self-motivated, we'd love to talk.

The salary range for the Scientist II position is $145,000-$160,000. The salary range for the Senior Scientist position is $160,000-$180,000. Title and compensation will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate's career experience, qualifications, and the responsibilities of the position.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants and welcome individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, or any other status protected by law.