Fleming Initiative Research Associate in High-Throughput Medicinal Chemistry

Following a £45 million pledge from GSK to support the Fleming Initiative’s efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), we are seeking a talented Research Associate to join the team in the group of Professor Ed Tate at Imperial College London. This role will use medicinal chemistry and high‑through‑put direct‑to‑biology (D2B) approaches to rapidly synthesise large chemical libraries that will support the generation of high‑through‑put mass spectrometry (MS) data to power state‑of‑the‑art Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models to build a chemical ‘rule book’ for small molecule accumulation in bacteria.

The position is available full time, starting in June 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a significant and growing global health threat, with recent projections estimating that 39 million deaths will be directly attributed to AMR between 2025–2050. Of particular concern are Gram‑negative bacteria which possess two cell membranes, including a hard‑to‑penetrate outer membrane decorated with efficient efflux systems. These structural barriers severely limit intracellular accumulation of antibiotic drugs, rendering many ineffective. Despite a renewed focus on AMR research, there is still limited understanding of how to develop antibiotics that can cross these membranes and accumulate within bacteria. Therefore, a systematic, data‑driven approach is urgently needed to elucidate the chemical ‘rule book’ that determines small molecule penetration and accumulation in bacteria to guide rational design of next‑generation antibiotics.

What you would be doing

Your role will focus on optimising and delivering high‑through‑put chemical synthesis workflows to enable direct‑to‑biology (D2B) screening of small‑molecule accumulation in Gram‑negative bacteria. By applying a high‑through‑put D2B approach, you will rapidly elaborate and diversify chemical scaffolds to systematically interrogate the molecular features that govern Gram‑negative bacterial accumulation. The data generated from these experiments will feed into the development of state‑of‑the‑art Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models to build a chemical ‘rule book’ for small molecule accumulation in bacteria. You will be contributing to a dynamic and ambitious Grand Challenge Project, funded by GSK and the Fleming Initiative, and you will work closely with multidisciplinary teams, from assay design and microbiology to data science and AI/ML.

The Tate group is culturally diverse and highly multidisciplinary, with project teams encompassing scientists at all levels of experience and from a variety of backgrounds (chemical biology, cell biology, proteomics, cancer biology, drug discovery, etc.). Postdocs in our lab take full responsibility to initiate and run projects, co‑lead collaborative teams, write applications for funding and pitches for translational support, and regularly engage in co‑supervision of Masters and PhD level students. We are looking for candidates who can thrive in this dynamic and creative environment and take full advantage of the unique training opportunities it offers.

What we are looking for

Essential criteria for the role include:

• Hold, or near completion of, a PhD qualification in chemistry, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, or a closely related field, or an equivalent level of experience.
• Strong research track record relative to experience, in academia and/or industry.
• Experience in optimisation and execution of D2B workflows, or medicinal chemistry.

Desirable experience for this role includes one or more of the following:

• Antimicrobial drug discovery;
• automated liquid handling;
• biological plate‑based assays;
• analysis of large datasets;
• working in a team setting and/or with external collaborators;
• handling biological samples (e.g. bacterial and human cell lines).

The opportunity to continue your career at a world‑leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity. Sector‑leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

This is a full time, fixed term role for 12 months in the first instance, with possibility of extension. Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant. The expected start date for this position is as soon as possible.