The Research Assistant is part of the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD) in the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University and is a key individual contributor responsible for setting up, conducting experiments, reporting data, and continuing research projects following protocols including the appropriate recording of data and reporting of standard or variant results. Assists in other laboratory and research functions. Reporting to the Principal Investigator, the Research Assistant works with faculty, staff, and key internal/external stakeholders.

Every major advance in medicine starts with fundamental discoveries that teach us how living organisms work in both health and disease. These discoveries are made in biomedical sciences laboratories that study life at all levels from the individual molecules that encode heredity to the complex associations of cells that form tissues and organs. Vanderbilt Basic Sciences is a tightly integrated research and education division within the School of Medicine comprising four academic departments, eight interdisciplinary centers, twenty-seven service core facilities, and the Office of Biomedical Research, Education, and Training.

Our team of over 1000 faculty, fellows, students, and staff is making new discoveries every day - discoveries that enrich our understanding of biological processes and provide the foundation for new insights into the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases.
 

Duties and Responsibilities Under minimal supervision, plan, design and synthesize target molecules. Perform organic synthesis experiments and purification procedures using standard organic chemistry techniques or new methods from the literature to obtain compounds of interest for further biological testing. Using SAR data, contribute to the strategy and direction of future synthetic targets. Knowledge of principals of organic chemistry and purification techniques. Prepare and purify libraries of small molecules. Plans and coordinates experiments in conjunction with requests from Supervisor. Records, compiles, interprets, and communicates data/results. Work alongside other medicinal chemist for SAR interpretation and development. Contribute to a fully functioning discovery team with strong communication skills  Provides appropriate written/oral documentation of experiments Highly motivated individual with the ability to go above and beyond the job description to complete the task Provides a friendly demeanor, polite, positive attitude and enjoys coming to work Understand and follow experimental protocols (including but not limited to proper safety protocol, proper equipment procedures, etc.) Follows University and Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery safety protocols (may include use of combustibles, biohazardous materials, and/or carcinogens) Assist in group responsibilities that may include the inventory of consumables, clean glassware/lab space, and restock general area. Assist in the efficient operation of the lab.

Qualifications

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary. A Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, or organic chemistry or similar field from an accredited institution of higher education is highly preferred. Experience in a drug discovery research setting preferred.  One year experience in a research laboratory (medicinal chemistry, synthetic methodology development, natural product synthesis) preferred. At least 2-5 years of experience in a organic chemistry lab setting is preferred. Ability to work in a team-based organization is preferred. Ability to clearly communicate research results, ideas, and concerns is preferred. Ability to clearly present research-based information during team meetings is preferred.