Job title:Structural Biologist (Senior Scientist II/Principal Scientist)

Job type: Permanent, Full-time

Location:Oxford

Salary:Competitive salary

Right to work:Sponsorship available

Application deadline:January 20th 2025

Application submission:CV and cover lettervia our websitewww.omass.com/working-here/

OMass Therapeutics is a biotechnology company based in Oxford discovering medicines against highly- validated target ecosystems, such as membrane proteins or intracellular complexes. The company’s unique OdyssION™ technology platform comprises novel biochemistry techniques, next-generation native mass spectrometry, and custom chemistry. OMass is advancing a pipeline of small molecule therapeutics in rare diseases and immunological conditions, that target solute carriers, complex-bound proteins, and GPCRs.

We are seeking an experienced structural biologist with X-ray and cryo-EM skills. You will be part of a dynamic andinnovativeenvironment and will become an integral part of our vision to address patients’ unmet needs while building Britain’s Biggest Biotech. You will use your structural biology expertise and scientific curiosity to solve drug discovery challenges, as part of multi-disciplinary project teams. You will be able to work in state-of-the-art laboratory and modern facilities for optimumcollaborationalongside afocusedandcaringteam.

You will possess a track record of successful structure determination with difficult targets, such as human/mammalian membrane proteins or protein/DNA complexes by cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography. You will join the Protein Biochemistry & Structural Biology team and work closely with the Computational Chemistry team to deliver high quality structural data in support of our drug discovery workflows and platform development efforts.

To find out more about the meaningful work OMass delivers, as well as our EVP you can find this herehttps://www.omass.com/

Requirements

Essential Experience, Skills and Qualities

·         PhD or relevant experience in structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology or equivalent

·         Have extensive practical experience in single particle cryo-electron microscopy and X-Ray crystallography with a track record of successfully completed projects

·         Have excellent knowledge of structure determination with single-particle Cryo-EM, including sample preparation, data collection & processing, model building and structural analysis

·         Be familiar with state-of-the-art cryo-EM and X-ray software packages, as well as software packages for model building/map interpretation

·         Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of Linux systems and the required computational infrastructure for EM and X-ray data processing workflows

·         Excellent familiarity with standard crystallization equipment (crystal plate imaging systems, screen formulation and liquid dispensing robots)

·         Significant experience with X-ray data collection at synchrotron beamlines for X-ray crystallography

·         Responsible and focused approach to independent and collaborative work, with the ability to prioritise and deliver high quality work to deadlines.

·         Innovative and ambitious mindset, with an inquisitive and agile approach to problem-solving and overcoming technical challenges; motivated to continuously learn and take on challenges.

·         Caring and inclusive; respectful and receptive to others’ diverse ideas, experience and perspectives, and enjoys working collaboratively with others as a team.

·         Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

Preferred Experience and Skills

·         Familiarity or previous exposure to a small molecule drug discovery environment

·         Experience in structure determination with protein/small molecule complexes for structure-based drug design

·         Experience with protein purification techniques

·         Basic programming skills and the ability to customize workflows to improve the efficiency of the EM- and X-ray data processing pipelines

Role Responsibilities

·         Perform X-ray crystallography experiments, including in-house screen preparation and protein/ligand co-crystallization/soaking and crystal harvesting

·         Arrange crystal shipments and synchrotron time for remote data collection

·         Process and analyse X-ray crystallography data including indexing, integration, phasing, model building and refinement

·         Prepare cryo-EM samples using the in-house vitrobot and assess the suitability of cryo-EM samples for data collection (screening by on-the-fly processing in cryoSPARC live)

·         Collect high-quality cryo-EM datasets on Titan Krios followed by data processing on in-house GPU workstations   

·         Build accurate molecular models into cryo-EM and X-ray maps for structure-guided drug design

·         Participate in design sessions with scientists from the Computational and Medicinal Chemistry Teams

·         Ensure proper record-keeping of samples and archiving of datasets for future reference 

·         Work closely with protein biochemists to improve the construct design/formulation of protein samples for optimal outcomes of data collection

·         Train other members of the team in structural biology techniques

·         Share information openly and work collaboratively with other departments to help advance different projects and achieve company goals.

·         Promote and adhere to OMass’ values of being Ambitious, Responsible, Innovative, Focused, Caring and Collaborative

Benefits

OMass offers an excellent benefits package including:

·         Private Health Insurance

·         Health and wellbeing cashback scheme

·         Life Assurance and Income Protection

·         Participation in Employee Equity Scheme

·         25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays

·         Pension Scheme offering 6% employer contribution

·         Learning and Development Opportunities

·         Company social events

Any queries relating to the role can be sent to hr@omass.com.

OMass Therapeutics values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity, we also have full responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to work and live in the UK.