Postdoctoral Fellow Biocatalysis & Enzyme Discovery

Location:Gothenburg Sweden Competitive Salary & Benefits Package

Do you haveexpertisein and passion for biocatalysis bioinformatics and the discovery of novel enzymes from extreme marine environments Would you like to apply your knowledge toimpactdrug discovery in a company that followsthe scienceand turns ideas into life-changing medicines Then join Discovery Sciences at AstraZenecaand unlock the power of what Science can do.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global science-led patient-centredbiopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering developing andcommercialisingprescription medicines for some of the worlds most serious diseases.Werededicated to being a Great Place to Work empowering employees to push the boundaries of science and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit.

About Being a Postdoc at AstraZeneca

Our Postdocs are respected as specialists encouraged to speak up and supported to share their research at conferences publish papers and achieve their goals.This is anopportunityto make a meaningful impact withsignificantownership and accountability whilst making a difference to patients lives.

This is a 3-yearprogramme withan initial2-year period and a 1-year merit-based extension.

The Opportunity

In this roleyoullresearch and develop novelhalogenasebiocatalysts discovered from extreme marine environments for sustainable pharmaceutical synthesis.Halogenasesare increasingly valuable in drug discovery due to their ability toregioselectivelyintroduce halogen atoms into organic molecules modulating bioactivity stability lipophilicity and membrane permeability of drug candidates.

The project is supported by theiLABin the Compound Synthesis and Management teamat AstraZeneca which uses automationminiaturisation and high-throughput experimentation to deliver small molecule libraries and modified hit compounds across all therapeutic areas. It forms part of theEU Horizon fundedNextMARINEconsortium working with European industrial and academic partners to pioneer enzyme discovery in extreme marine environments and unlock the biocatalytic potential of marine biodiversity.

You will employcutting-edgebioinformatics to mine metagenomic sequence dataidentifyingpromisinghalogenasecandidates. You will then express purify and biochemicallycharacterisethese enzymes evaluating their potential for regioselective halogenation relevant to pharmaceutical synthesis.Youlldevelop andoptimisescreening assays using analytical chemistry techniques to assess enzymatic activity and synthetic utility.

Supervised byProfMartinHayes(Biocatalysis LeadiLAB) andDrGiuliaBergonzini(Head of Compound Synthesis Discovery Sciences)at AstraZeneca with academic mentorship fromProfIoannisPavlidis(Department of Chemistry University of Crete).

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Bioinformatics mining:Discover novelhalogenasesfrom marine metagenomic databases using tools such ascdhit mmseqs2ClustalOmega and MUSCLE

• Molecular biology:Design and implement strategies for heterologous expression ofhalogenasegenes; purify andcharacteriserecombinant enzymes

• Assay development:Develop andoptimiseenzymatic activity assays using LC-MS and other analytical methods

• Screening:Evaluatehalogenases(WT and variants) for catalytic activity substrate specificity and synthetic potential in pharmaceutical-relevant transformations

• Collaboration:Work with computational biologists enzymologists and synthetic chemists across theNextMARINEconsortium

• Dissemination:Plan write publish and present high-quality scientific papers at international conferences

• Engagement:Participatein department activities learn about drug discovery processes and gain exposure to new scientific advances

Essential Requirements

• PhDin biochemistry molecular biology bioinformatics biotechnology organic chemistry or a related discipline

• Demonstratedexpertisein bioinformaticsand computational analysis of metagenomic sequence data

• Strong molecular biology skills including gene cloning protein expression and purification

• Hands-on experience with in vitro protein expression systems(bacterial yeast or cell-free)

• Proficiencyin analytical chemistry techniques particularlyLC-MS

• Experience designing and conducting enzyme activity assays

Candidates must bewithin 5 years of obtaining their doctoral degree (PhD already awarded)or graduate students who will obtain their PhD within 6 months of joining AstraZeneca.A good publication record is expected.

Desirable Requirements

• Biocatalysisand/orenzyme engineeringexperience

• Experience withhalogenaseenzymesor other biocatalysts for organic synthesis

• Familiarity withmarine microbiologyorextremophile biology

• Knowledge ofhigh-throughput screeningand automation

• Experience withstructural biologytechniques (crystallography cryo-EM or molecular modelling)

• Understanding ofpharmaceutical chemistryand drug discovery processes

• Excellent communication planning andorganisationalskills

• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary research environment

Why AstraZeneca

Youllbe part of theNextMARINEconsortium collaborating with leading partners across Europe. This unique opportunity combines fundamental research with direct pharmaceutical applications.Youllhave access to world-class bioinformatics infrastructure automated screening platforms and advanced analytical instrumentation alongside experts in biocatalysis synthetic chemistry computational biology and drug discovery.