Postdoctoral Researcher - Contraceptive Drug Discovery

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Program: Mitacs Accelerate Umbrella - Target 2035 Fellows

Position Summary:
This project aims to unlock a new frontier in contraception by discovering, validating, and chemically modulating previously under-explored protein targets with the potential to drive truly next-generation contraceptive strategies. Postdoctoral Researchers will be assigned a novel human protein target(s) and will advance their target(s) through the drug discovery pipeline from hit to chemical probe, with the aim of unravelling the protein’s function and relevance as a contraceptive drug target. The target(s) will be chosen from a portfolio of proteins with sperm-specific expression with links to male fertility that are putative drug targets for non-hormonal contraception approaches.

The Postdoctoral Researchers will be embedded in an early-stage drug discovery team, gaining hands-on experience from target to starting points for therapeutic development. This will include protein expression and purification, biochemical and biophysical characterization, and high-resolution structure determination (including X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM) to reveal target structure, mechanism, and function. They will also play a central role in assessing target ligandability and contributing to develop screening strategies, including high-throughput approaches to uncover high-quality starting chemical matter, including E-ASMS and DEL-ML.

In this unique training opportunity, the Target 2035 Fellow will be embedded in a highly collaborative, international research program and supported by a multidisciplinary project team. The Postdoctoral Researchers will work closely with experienced medicinal chemists, machine learning scientists, automation and software engineers, biochemists, and cell biologists, contributing to cutting-edge, data-driven drug discovery efforts alongside academic, industry, and technology partners. In close partnership with medicinal chemists, the Postdoctoral Researchers will drive hit validation, structure-activity relationship (SAR) development, and early compound optimization, leveraging integrated structural and functional insights to inform compound design toward a chemical probe. This position offers exceptional interdisciplinary training, high-impact collaboration at the biology-chemistry interface, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to an area of profound medical and societal importance.

Duties:

Appointment, Training Program, and Research Environment
This position is part of the Target 2035 Fellows program, supported through a Mitacs Accelerate Umbrella program. The engagement is offered as a temporary full-time postdoctoral appointment for an initial one-year term, with the possibility of renewal for up to two additional years, subject to performance, funding availability, and program requirements.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will be embedded within University Health Network’s research environment and will contribute to collaborative research aligned with Target 2035, a global open science public-private partnership focused on accelerating early drug discovery through the generation of high-quality chemical tools and protein-ligand interaction data for artificial intelligence and machine learning. Training is provided through academic supervision, day-to-day integration within UHN’s research teams, and participation in collaborative projects involving a global team of academic, technology, and industry partners.

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

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Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.