Lecturer Computational Drug Discovery Leiden • Universiteit Leiden

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The Faculty of Science and the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research are looking for a:

Lecturer Computational Drug Discovery

Do you want to work on the forefront of computational drug discovery, embedded in a dynamic and enthusiastic research environment? At Leiden University in the BSc part of the Biopharmaceutical Sciences curriculum we are developing a computational track. During the development of the new courses in this track, there is a period of two year wherein teaching existing courses overlap with the development of the new courses in this track. While this is primarily an educational position, as part of this position you can spend 15% of your time on scientific research in the area of computational drug discovery. 

As part of our team you will be teaching the existing courses to BSc/MSc level student as part of the BioPharmaceutical Sciences curriculum. You will gain valuable experience preparing you for a competitive scientific career, both in academia and in the industry. Join our team at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR). 

We are looking to hire a lecturer for a maximum of 2 years to enable the development of this new track. 

Project and key responsibilities 

The primary goal of this position is teaching. You will have the unique opportunity to work with computational chemists, medicinal chemists, and molecular pharmacologists at Leiden University (LU).

• You will teach plenary courses in Computational Drug Discovery to undergraduate students BioPharmaceutical Sciences,
• Specifically the focus is on cheminformatics, structure-based drug discovery, and bioinformatics
• You will supervise MSc and BSc students and train and support them in computational drug discovery,
• You will supervise MSc students during a literature review project
• You stay abreast of developments in the field, read the literature and participate in relevant conferences,
• You are expected to proactively propose solutions for research problems and publish in internationally renowned journals.

Selection criteria

We are looking for an excellent, creative, and highly motivated colleague with: 

• A Ph.D. in the field of computational drug discovery or related fields
• Strong affinity with education and student supervision
• Strong coding skills, preferably in Python, experience with high-performance computing is an advantage
• Affinity for collaborations in multi-disciplinary groups is essential
• Experience in virtual screening, in the context of drug discovery projects is preferred
• Ability to work independently (project design , experimental planning, problem solving)
• Excellent written and spoken English
   

We offer
We offer a fully funded two year lecturer position in the vibrant and top edge environment of the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research. The position will be available in fall 2025.
Salary ranges from € 3.378,-- to € 5.331,-- gross per month  (pay scale 10, depending on experience), in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
  
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information, see the website.

Diversity and Inclusion
Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups. LACDR is a highly diverse institute, in culture, background, and gender. We stand for excellence in a caring Institute. We wish to reflect society in all aspects, as we believe that this improves the dynamics in our organization. Therefore, we support and understand the need for a work/life/family balance and consequent varying working hours and places. We believe that doing good science is fun, and goes hand in hand with a friendly culture. In the Netherlands, a maternity allowance is standard for 16 weeks. Child care is available at and near the Bio Science Park.

Where will you be working
You will be working in the modern laboratories of the division of Drug Discovery and Safety at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR). You will be part of the Computational Drug Discovery group (CDD).

Faculty
The Faculty of Science at Leiden University is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organized in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelors’ and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 2,300 staff and over 5,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together. 

University
Leiden University is one of Europe’s leading international research universities.

Thanks to its committed and inspired employees, the university enjoys a leading role in academic research and education. Leiden also scores very well every year in prominent rankings. This means that, to maintain our position, the bar is set very high. Regardless of the work you do at our university, you are always encouraged to broaden your horizons, develop your talents and reach your full potential. Will you become our newest colleague?

Do you have questions about this position? 
Please contact Prof. Gerard JP van Westen,  via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina.

You can find more information about the faculty of Science at . For more information about working at Leiden university please visit . 

Application
Are you enthusiastic about this vacancy? We are looking forward to get to know you. To apply for this vacancy, please submit your application online via the blue button in our application system.

Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents:

• Motivation letter including a description of specific research interests related to the proposed project;
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications;
• Brief past research statement (max 1-2 Pages);
• Two letters of recommendation (can be submitted to via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina. directly by your referee);
• Copies of diplomas

Only applications received before 25 July 2025 can be considered.

Please note that interviews will be scheduled the week of August 25th  (so please keep some time available).