Senior Research Associate in Synthetic Chemistry

Lancaster University - Department of Chemistry

Location:	Bailrigg
Salary:	£39,906 to £46,049 per annum
Hours:	Full Time
Contract Type:	Permanent

Placed On:	27th March 2026
Closes:	12th April 2026
Job Ref:	0212-26

The Department of Chemistry at Lancaster University is seeking to appoint a full time Senior Research Associate in Synthetic Chemistry in the group of Dr M Paz Munoz, for a 14-month Leverhulme Trust funded project: i-motif DNA based asymmetric catalysis with gold carbenes.

You will be involved in the development of novel i-motif DNA-Au carbene hybrids for enantioselective Au catalysis using the inherent chirality of DNA to induce asymmetry. Key objectives will involve the synthesis of b-N-stabilised Au carbenes from N-heterocyclic containing allenes, and their application in DNA based-asymmetric catalysis for the synthesis of products relevant for drug-discovery in high enantiomeric purity.

You will also be expected to collaborate with the group of Prof Zoë Waller at UCL. Prof Waller is a Professor of Drug Discovery and Head of the Research Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy at UCL, and a world-leading expert in drug-nucleic acid interactions and alternative DNA structures with applications in medicine and nanotechnology.

About You

You will:

• Have a PhD in Chemistry or a related subject
• Have experience in experimental organometallic chemistry
• Be able to demonstrate a publication record of research in a relevant area appropriate to career stage

The Benefits of the Role

• Generous holiday leave - 25 days (pro-rata) annual leave plus University closure days and bank holidays.
• Access to employee pension scheme, and annual flexible benefits scheme.
• We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion across the Faculty, and supporting family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis. The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze Award, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in Higher Education and research. Please see the university’s family friendly webpages to find out more - Family-friendly Lancaster - Lancaster University
• The university is committed to supporting the professional and career development for all staff, for instance Lancaster University’s is fully commitment to the principles of the corcordat to support the career development of researchers. This has resulted in the university receiving the HR Excellence in Research Award.

The Department of Chemistry was re-opened in 2012 and has undergone rapid expansion and development. The Department consists of a core complement of more than 20 members of academic staff and a thriving community of post-doctoral researchers, PGR and UG students. It ranks highly in the UK (7th in the Guardian University Guide 2024) with state-of-the-art labs housed in a completely refurbished building.

Further information about the Department is available at: Chemistry - Lancaster University

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Dr M. Paz Muñoz (m.munoz-herranz@lancaster.ac.uk).

Please upload a cover letter with your application.

Please note: unless specified otherwise in the advert, all advertised roles are UK based.