The Opportunity
JOB DESCRIPTION
Postdoctoral Research Associate – organic synthesis (Cockroft/Granneman groups)
We are seeking a synthetic organic chemist to work in the Cockroft group to design and synthesise small organic molecules targeting ribosomes. The target compounds are derived from antibiotics and will be designed to deliver chemical tagging agents. The successful candidate will also work in collaboration with the Granneman group to screen the activity of the newly synthesised compounds.
This post is fixed-term (start is between August 2025 and the first week of 2026 for 15 months) and full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering flexible working patterns.
The salary for this post is at Grade UE07: £40,497 to £48,149 per annum.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- The successful applicant will have, or be close to being awarded, a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry or Medicinal Chemistry.
- Possess a deep interest in the application of organic synthesis to biological challenges.
- Willingness to learn or apply computational design and biological screening for the identification of active compounds.
- Collaborate across research groups within Edinburgh and internationally.
- Excellent communication and written skills, with experience in preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Click to view a copy of the full Job Description (opens new browser tab).
Application Information
Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
- CV (including publications list).
- Cover letter (summarising previous research experience, feel free to include figures if it helps).
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
- A competitive salary.
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our
right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is
31 st July 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will be held
mid-August 2025 (by agreement). The successful candidate must take up the post between August 2025 and the first week of 2026 (by mutual agreement).
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
The School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh has a long and distinguished history. The first Chemistry Professor was appointed to the Chair in 1713 and the Edinburgh University student-led Chemical Society is regarded as the oldest chemical society in the world. The School is run as a single academic unit with approximately 160 staff (made up of academic, postdoctoral researchers and professional services staff) and 800 students (undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research students). Our vision is for all students and staff to harness their curiosity, utilising outstanding and diverse talents to pursue knowledge that can be used to tackle global challenges and improve people’s lives. S ustainability, collaboration and inclusion are at the heart of all our school activities.
School of Chemistry researchers deliver advances in both core and interdisciplinary chemistry across five overlapping themes: Catalysis & Synthesis, the Chemistry-Biology Interface, Functional Materials, Structural Chemistry & Chemical Dynamics, and Energy, Environment & Sustainable Chemistry. Our research underpins solutions to major global challenges including health, climate change, and sustainability, and we collaborate extensively with other disciplines and industry partners to take our research towards use. Our 55 group leaders work with a similar number of postdoctoral researchers and approx.155 research students to deliver £32M of current research grants across government, charity and industry funders, as well as a wide variety of public engagement activities.
Along with the University of St Andrews we formed EaStCHEM in 2004 to combine the research activities of two of Scotland’s leading schools of chemistry. Combined, we are the largest chemistry unit research in the UK. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), we were one of only three chemistry submissions to achieve a 100% “world-leading” score for our research environment. We hold a Silver Athena SWAN award, in recognition of excellence in science, engineering and technology employment in higher education relating to supporting women in Science. We are particularly proud of establishing the Christina Miller Fellowships, which have enabled seven talented postdoctoral researchers from under-represented groups to establish themselves as independent group leaders.
For further information about our school is available on the School of Chemistry Website ( https://chem.ed.ac.uk/ ) (opens in a new browser tab).
