Postdoctoral Fellow, DNA Encoded Library Chemistry

Johnson & Johnson is recruiting for a Postdoctoral Fellow, DNA Encoded Library Chemistry in the Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Group located in San Diego, CA.

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal.

Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/ .

For more than 130 years, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) has been a part of our cultural fabric at Johnson & Johnson and woven into how we do business every day. Rooted in Our Credo, the values of DEI fuel our pursuit to create a healthier, more equitable world. Our diverse workforce and culture of belonging accelerate innovation to solve the world's most pressing healthcare challenges.

We know that the success of our business - and our ability to deliver meaningful solutions - depends on how well we understand and meet the diverse needs of the communities we serve. Which is why we foster a culture of inclusion and belonging where all perspectives, abilities and experiences are valued and our people can reach their potential.

At Johnson & Johnson, we all belong.

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (J&J IM) develops treatments that improve the health of people worldwide. Research and development areas encompass oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, immunology, pulmonary hypertension, neuroscience, and infectious disease.

Our goal is to help people live longer, healthier lives. We have produced and marketed many first-in-class prescription medications and are poised to serve the broad needs of the healthcare market - from patients to practitioners and from clinics to hospitals. To learn more about J&J Innovative Medicine, visit https:// https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine .

The J&J IM Discovery, Product Development, & Supply (DPDS) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program helps early career scientists gain the training and experience needed to further their careers while addressing the needs of global healthcare. Postdocs work side-by-side with DPDS scientists on innovative research projects and have the opportunity to present and publish their work. They also learn the functional role of scientists in the pharmaceutical industry and receive valuable career advice from mentors while building a network of professional contacts and developing the skills needed to advance their careers.

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join our DNA-encoded library chemistry team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in organic chemistry and reaction development, with a keen interest in hit identification and drug discovery.

The postdoctoral fellow will work on developing DEL-compatible chemistries, with an emphasis on using the recently published "Surf-DNA" workflow (Org. Lett. 2024, 26, 20, 4365-4370) to develop reactions under anhydrous conditions with the objective of publishing their findings in peer-reviewed journals. The postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with our broader JNJ DEL teams, including DEL Selection, DEL Analytical, and DEL Informatics, to learn and contribute to our end-to-end DEL screening workflow.

The postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to gain practical experience analyzing data from JNJ DEL screening campaigns, coordinating hit resynthesis, and influencing early hit-to-lead development from confirmed hits. Additionally the fellow will enhance their understanding of medicinal chemistry principles through exposure to JNJ drug development projects and training. A passion to learn new laboratory techniques and scientific areas, and the ability to thrive in a multidisciplinary, results oriented environment are key attributes.

The anticipated start date for this position is October 14th, 2024.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct reaction screening to identify DEL-compatible chemistries either under partially aqueous reaction condition or under anhydrous conditions employing "Surf-DNA" technique developed by our DEL team

• Work on reaction condition optimization and exploring substrate scope for developed chemistries

• Learn and apply molecular biology techniques like DNA ligations, gel electrophoresis, DNA quantitation using qPCR; purification of DNA conjugates with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and analysis of DNA-small molecule conjugate compositions through Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

• Interpret and present DEL screening results, followed by coordinating hit resynthesis

• Perform property and diversity-based building block selection to designing DNA-encoded libraries using developed chemistries

• Prepare and submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals

• Development, training, conferences, internal meetings & symposia