Research Scientist in Organic Synthesis
Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR), University of Oxford
339
9157
The OSCAR research scientist (RS) in organic synthesis will join an established team investigating selective oxidation of organic compounds by engineered variants of cytochrome P450 enzymes for applications in the synthesis of high-value intermediates and active ingredients for the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. The post is tenable for 2.5 years starting 02 November 2020. The RS will report to Professor Jeremy Robertson, the joint-PI (with Professor Luet Wong) of the programme.
The RS will prepare small-molecule substrates for regio- and stereoselective C–H bond oxidation by enzyme mutants. Following screening of substrates against the enzyme collection, the RS will isolate and characterise the major oxidised products from scaled-up reactions using a combination of standard analytical techniques, primarily nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Isolated, characterised products will provide reference samples for further screening rounds, intermediates for further elaboration to targets of interest, and new potential components of pharmaceutical and agrochemical screening libraries. The RS will have sufficient experience to design effective and scalable synthetic strategies and protecting group regimes to produce appropriate substrates in a timely fashion. The ability and willingness to participate in technology transfer to industrial partners is essential.
