We are seeking to fill a number of vacancies for postdoctoral research associates, as part of an EPSRC-funded Prosperity Partnership project between researchers at the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol (Robin Bedford, Natalie Fey and Alastair Lennox), AstraZeneca and Labman: drEAMcat -Earth-Abundant Metal Catalysis in the Production of Pharmaceutical Drugs.
The core aim of drEAMcat Prosperity Partnership is to develop catalytic processes for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients using sustainable, Earth-abundant metals, such as iron and nickel. The replacement of noble metal catalysts in AstraZeneca processes will combine catalyst synthesis with high-throughput experimentation (HTE), automation and digital chemistry, reducing the timescale of experimental and computational mechanistic studies from years to weeks or days, and so achieving rapid implementation of EAM-catalysed transformations by the end of this ambitious project.
What will you be doing?
If your track record is in homogeneous catalysis, the project will focus on the design, application and mechanistic investigation of Earth-abundant (3d transition) metal-based catalysts. In this role, you will be using a classical organometallic and organic synthetic methodology combined with automated approaches and high-throughput screening. If your track record is in computational chemistry, your work will support a group of synthetic chemists by combining detailed mechanistic insights with the use of calculated descriptors/features to analyse the experimental results. In addition, these data, generated with suitable electronic structure methods, will underpin models for the accelerated optimisation of 3d element catalysts, validated experimentally.
You should apply if
You will be a highly motivated individual with a strong background in either (homogeneous) catalytic chemistry, preferably with experience in 3d metal catalysis and/or mechanistic investigation, or computational chemistry, in particular electronic structure calculations (DFT/WFT), again ideally with some expertise in 3d metal catalysis or related areas. Good communication skills are essential, and you must be enthusiastic about working with scientists from complementary disciplines, as you will routinely interact with a team of researchers in synthetic and computational chemistry, as well as HTE and automation specialists. You will be able to work independently and have excellent experimental or computational skills, along with project-management skills and the ability to work as part of a team. You should have, or be about to obtain, a PhD degree or equivalent, demonstrating your extensive experience in either catalytic or computational chemistry.
Additional information
This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Sunday 3rd August 2025
The interviews are anticipated to take place on the 14th August 2025
For informal queries, please contact: Prof. Robin Bedford: r.bedford@bristol.ac.uk
or Dr Natalie Fey: Natalie.Fey@bristol.ac.uk
For more information and to apply visit https://www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/details/?jobId=378135&jobTitle=Research%20Associate%20in%20Homogeneous%20Catalysis%20%2F%20Computational%20Chemistry%20x%202%20positions%20
