Research Fellow in Chemical Biology / Medicinal Chemistry

The Division of Infection and Immunity and The Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research are co-located in the Cruciform Building at UCL and are lively and sociable research environments striving for excellence in research.
There is an established track record for department post docs gaining personal fellowships and independently minded and talented investigators will be encouraged and supported in seeking such fellowship support.

The research project aims to understand the molecular details of the relationship between human immunodeficiency virus and the human innate immune system. We employ the latest chemical biology techniques including ABP and Protacs to study this system. We have recently shown that HIV recruits specific host factors that cloak the virus allowing it to avoid triggering innate DNA sensors within infected cells.

The post will utilize a chemical biology approach to investigate the molecular details of the cloaking process and the cell autonomous innate immune response that is unleashed when HIV is uncloaked. We expect to take a collaborative approach working closely with molecular virologists, protein crystallographers, chemists and immunologists to solve the details of innate evasion strategies employed by HIV and related primate lentiviruses. We will undertake a detailed molecular modelling design process to identify key molecules for synthesis as pharmacological probes and potential new HIV therapies.
Trained in organic/medicinal chemistry the post holder will be expected to perform high quality chemical biology research under the direction of, Professor David Selwood.

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/