Jobs in Structural Biology and Related Fields


Protein Scientist / Crystallographer position at Exscientia


Exscientia, Oxford, United Kingdom
Application deadline: 30 Sep 2020


Exscientia is at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven drug discovery and is the only company to have designed drug molecules by AI that are in clinical studies. Their mission is to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry so that patients get faster access to life-saving drugs. Exscientia’s world-class leadership in AI-driven drug discovery has been recognised by partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, joint ventures with biotech and technology companies and multiple investment rounds by top-tier investors. Exscientia is collectively working to build a cutting-edge future and are looking for like-minded individuals to join the journey.

Following multiple high-profile partnerships and the most recent Series C fund-raise, Exscientia are now adding a Protein Scientist/Crystallographer to their team. The Protein Sciences team is part of Discovery Biology at Exscientia and is responsible for enabling small-molecule therapeutic projects by providing GPCR biology, protein production, biophysical and crystallographic capabilities. The team works on diverse target classes to support the transformative efficiency improvements in clinical candidate discovery demonstrated with their systems. This position is for an experienced scientist specialising in X-ray crystallography, protein expression and purification to join the team and support the discovery of new therapeutic molecules.

An excellent Protein Scientist/Crystallographer is sought to add value by being responsible for the crystallisation and the structure determination of protein-small molecule complexes by x-ray crystallography. The work will include protein production for structural purposes, crystallisation, X-ray data collection, structure determination, and analysis.

What will you be doing in this role?

  • Performing high throughput crystallisation experiments on multiple protein targets with and without ligands.
  • Optimising the initial crystallisation hits to obtain stable reproducible crystal systems.
  • Implementing established techniques of crystal manipulation including ligand soaking, crystal cryo-protection and harvesting.
  • Regular use of synchrotron facilities to execute standard x-ray data collection.
  • X-ray fragment screening experiments within the Diamond XChem pipeline.
  • Expression of proteins in heterologous systems such as E. coli, insect and mammalian cellsas required.
  • Purifying recombinant proteins by affinity chromatography methods.
  • Analysing recombinant proteins.
  • Bringing attention to detail including good record keeping
  • You will author high quality reports and data summaries.
  • Communicate updates to projects.
  • Representing Discovery Biology at scientific meetings.
  • Working to the highest scientific standards under the direction of the Head of Crystallography.

What will you bring to the role?

  • Experience with high throughput crystallisation methods for screening using robotics.
  • Know-how of strategy design for crystal conditions optimisation.
  • Skill in crystal manipulation, including soaking, cryoprotection, crystal harvesting.
  • Experience in synchrotron source X-ray diffraction experiments, data collection optimisation and beamtime preparation.
  • Proficiency with X-ray data processing, structure solution and refinement.
  • Knowledge of ligand chemical restraints definition and ligand structure refinement.
  • Experience in protein purification and analysis including affinity, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting and the use of FPLC systems
  • Excellent interpersonal intelligence
  • A demonstrable analytical approach to problem solving
  • The ability to work as part of a team
  • The successful candidate will possess a minimum of a strong honours degree plus either a postgraduate qualification up to a PhD degree or proven industry laboratory experience in the life sciences.

Desirable Experience

  • Understanding of all crystallographic methods (e.g. microbatch)
  • Comprehension of others structural biology techniques (e.g. SAXS and Electron Microscopy).
  • Experience in cell culturing techniques, ideally in both mammalian and insect cell lines.
  • Experience in designing constructs for recombinant protein production of crystallographic targets.
  • Previous work experience in an industrial environment.

What will you get from Exscientia?

  • Making a positive contribution to patients by revolutionising the pharmaceutical industry through AI driven discovery
  • Joining a scaling AI organisation with world class technical and scientific leaders
  • An opportunity to grow your career with us as the organisation grows
  • A highly competitive compensation to support employees as Exscientia continues to grow and thrive
  • The opportunity to join an inclusive, collaborative and intellectually stimulating culture
  • Working in brand new, state of the art laboratories
  • Modern offices with fantastic free food on offer

Apply for this role on the Exscientia website. Applications will remain open until the position is filled.

Exscientia, Oxford, United Kingdom

Protein Scientist / Crystallographer position at Exscientia