Research Internship in Mass Spectrometry for Drug Discovery

About the role

Philochem, the discovery and R&D centre of the Philogen Group in Otelfingen near Zurich, is looking for an early-career scientist to join its Mass Spectrometry team. The project focuses on designing, synthesising, screening and validating an affinity-selection mass spectrometry platform to identify novel ligands for targeted therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The internship may lead to an industrial PhD project with a leading European university.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and optimise mass spectrometry-based selection strategies and data-analysis workflows to identify high-affinity binders for relevant targets
• Develop, optimise and implement synthetic workflows for library generation
• Operate, troubleshoot and maintain state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrumentation, such as Orbitrap instruments
• Work independently and within an interdisciplinary team, prioritising tasks and keeping a high level of organisation
• Present findings regularly to the project team and at scientific meetings
• Write and publish scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals

Required profile

• Master's degree (MSc) in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacy or a related discipline
• Hands-on experience operating and maintaining HPLC and mass spectrometry instruments
• Experience in organic synthesis, for example solid-phase synthesis
• Good understanding of the drug discovery and development process for small molecules
• Fluency in spoken and written English

Required skills

• Data analysis, including experience with R or Python
• Familiarity with mass spectrometry software such as Xcalibur, OpenLab CDS, Skyline, MaxQuant or FragPipe

Applications are submitted by email with a CV, motivation letter, university transcripts and contact details for at least two references (or preferably two letters of recommendation); applications are reviewed continuously and only shortlisted candidates are contacted.