Ph.D. position in Drug Discovery using Data Science / Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods, fully funded by a Marie Curie ITN

NovaMechanics (www.novamechanics.com), a Cheminformatics & Nanoinformatics company, is looking for a creative and highly motivated Ph.D. candidate student to join our office in Larnaca, Cyprus, to bridge between computational chemistry, computer-assisted drug design, analytics, machine learning (ML) and AI.
The development of novel drugs is a multiparameter optimization progress that requires several iterations of designing, synthesizing , testing, and analyzing candidate compounds. Leveraging artificial intelligence methods and integrating them into automatic chemistry platforms can accelerate the drug design iterative procedure. The successful candidate will develop new ideas, methods and algorithms to improve our existing platforms (e.g., Enalos Suite, Enalos Cloud Platform, chemPharos database, and Isalos Analytics). The Ph.D. candidate will work in a cross-functional pan European team including computational chemists, synthetic chemistry, structural biology and in vitro biology.
Responsibilities
• Development and implementation of Artificial Intelligence-based methodologies for the design of novel compounds
• Application of in-silico and AI/ ML-based technologies for lead generation and lead optimization
• Systematic analysis of data sets using machine learning algorithms
• Communication of AI-technologies and applications to Stakeholders
• Collaboration with project teams to support the progression of lead generation and lead optimization projects
• Driving and organizing collaborative efforts with internal and external partners
Desired Requirements
• A BSc (for five year degree programs) or MSc in a relevant area, e. g. computational chemistry/biology, machine learning, artificial intelligence, medicinal chemistry, IT or equivalent fields
• The candidates, at the time of recruitment by NovaMechanics, should be in the first four years of their research careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree. The four years start to count from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him/her to embark on a doctorate.
• Knowledge in machine learning, artificial intelligence or de novo design
NovaMechanics Ltd 16, Princess De Tyras, Karantokis Building, 1065, Nicosia, Cyprus
Correspondence Address: P.O Box 26014, Nicosia, 1666, Cyprus
Email: info@novamechanics.com Website: www.novamechanics.com
• Knowledge in cheminformatics
• Excellent programming knowledge, preferably in Java
• Experience with deep learning libraries such as Pytorch or Tensorflow is a plus
• Strong interpersonal, organizational and communication skills and team player / collaborative spirit
• Excellent communication skills in English
• Strong passion for science, and the ability to work well within interdisciplinary Teams
What we offer
• An international working environment, in which the candidate will develop his/her talent and realize ideas and innovations within a competent team
• A very attractive scholarship for 36 months (equivalent to the salary of a senior researcher)
• A well-structured training within the Marie Curie ITN network
How to apply
The candidate should submit a a cover letter and a detailed CV, illustrating how his/her expertise matches the above requirements . All the above should be submitted until 28/02/2021 to hr@novamechanics.com with Ref: MarieCurie2021.