"Research Associate in Chemistry"

The Department of Chemistry is a dynamic and collaborative environment within the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences, dedicated to cutting-edge research and academic excellence. We are excited to offer an opportunity for a motivated individual looking to advance their career in chemical research and contribute to impactful scientific discovery.

As a Research Associate in Chemistry, you will be part of a vibrant research community, working closely with academic staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students. You will play a key role in supporting and delivering high-quality research projects, contributing to publications, and fostering innovation within the department. This position also involves collaboration with faculty and central services to ensure a supportive and productive research environment.

The Cobb group are looking for a passionate and creative scientist to join our team as a postdoctoral researcher in synthetic organic chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the King’s College London on a project that seeks to design powerful modular asymmetric catalysts inspired by the helices seen in nature.

The successful candidate will join the dynamic and collaborative research group of Professor André Cobb, working at the forefront of foldamer research and cutting-edge synthetic methodologies (for information about the group, please visit https://cobbresearch.com/) in collaboration with the group of Professor Craig Butts at the University of Bristol.

The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in designing and executing the synthesis of novel and innovative foldamer catalysts, and their application towards a variety of stereoselective processes, including organocatalytic and photocatalytic reactions. Applicants should have extensive experience in both small molecule (multi-step) synthesis and in solid phase peptide synthesis. Thus, the role could also be suitable for peptide and nucleic acid chemists who are interested in synthetic methodology.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art instrumentation, such as high throughput experimentation, and collaborate with experts in the field.

Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills are required to ensure success in liaising with a large and diverse research team:

• PhD in Organic Chemistry or a related field.
• Strong background in synthetic organic chemistry, and/or solid phase peptide synthesis.
• Demonstrated track record of high-quality research, as evidenced by publications in reputable journals.
• Excellent communication skills and experience of writing up research results for publication are expected.

For informal enquiries, please contact Professor André Cobb at andre.cobb@kcl.ac.uk. This post is advertised with an intended start date of 1st November 2025 with flexibility. This is a full time post, offered on a fixed term contract until the 31st October 2026.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. A PhD in synthetic organic chemistry (or pending results)
2. Experience in multistep synthetic chemistry
3. Experience in Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis
4. Experience in separation and characterisation of small to medium sized molecules
5. Experience in key spectroscopic techniques
6. A strong record of publication in relevant and peer-reviewed journals
7. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to both write and present scientifically, clearly and succinctly.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience in asymmetric synthesis and the determination of enantiomeric excess.
2. Experience in using/applying density functional theory (DFT)
3. Evidence of independent funding

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

Grade and Salary: £48,607 per annum, including London weighting allowance

Job ID: 123485

Close Date: 23-Sep-2025

Contact Person: Professor André Cobb

Contact Details: andre.cobb@kcl.ac.uk