Drug Discovery Biochemist (Small Molecule) - 233727

Drug Discovery Biochemist (Small Molecule) Join a growth-stage pharmaceutical company in Baltimore with a novel approach to addressing challenging disease targets. The Drug Discovery Biochemist will identify and validate new drug candidates using established targets. This Biochemist will have a biochemical drug discovery background specializing in High-Throughput Screening (HTS) of small molecule targets. This hands-on position is 80% benchwork. Responsibilities: Utilize High-Throughput Screening of small molecule targets to conduct Lead identification, validation, and optimization. Assays include: SPR, AlphaLISA, Thermal Shift, MST, Functional Enzymology, Kinetics, qPCR, etc. Design, optimize, and execute high-throughput screening assays. Contribute to the strategic planning and decision-making process for small molecule drug discovery projects. Assay Adaptation, execution, and data review/interpretation of screening campaigns including HIT ID and HIT-to-Lead and Lead optimization efforts for primary and secondary assays Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to assay performance and data integrity. Generate data for both primary and secondary assays to allow for data-driven decisions. Compound and Reagent management including enzymes/proteins/cell lines, critical screening/assay reagents for all screening efforts. Present findings and updates to senior management, project teams, and external partners. Qualifications: Ph.D. (preferred) or MS in Biochemistry or related with 5 years overall experience with small molecule drug discovery. Hands-on experience with SPR, Enzymology, and Kinetics is Required. Experience with Lead compound Identification, validation, and optimization. Strong understanding of the drug discovery process, including target ID, hit-to-lead (H2L), and lead optimization (LO) stages. Direct experience in HTS, HTS adaptation and compound and reagent management. Experience with protein protein interactions, AlphaLISA, Biacore SPR, Functional Enzymology, radio isotope based assays.