About this role
Die Medizinische Fakultät der Universität Leipzig gehört mit ihrer über 600jährigen Tradition zu den größten Forschungseinrichtungen der Region Leipzig. Mit über 1.300 Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern ist sie die größte von insgesamt 14 Fakultäten der Universität Leipzig und dient als Ausbildungsstätte für ca. 3.500 Studierende der Human- und Zahnmedizin sowie der Pharmazie und Hebammenkunde.
The Institute for Drug Discovery at Leipzig University Medical School is looking for a postdoctoral researcher for a collaborative research project.
On that position, the applicant will
- Develop strategies for de novo design of enzymes with new-to-nature function, including unnatural enantioselectivity: create new-to-nature theozymes, analyze their scaffoldability with current generative tools, and build early "no-go" filters that discard unpromising theozymes and designs before costly computation.
- Develop and stress-test tools that predict/assess substrate selectivity of designed enzymes at the scoring and filtering stage. Analyze what is currently available, test those tools and their underlying ideas critically, and build better ones.
- Prepare and curate datasets, train custom machine-learning models and develop new architectures, and maintain reproducible pipelines and released code.
- Work with industry and experimental partners in milestones: meet deadlines, prepare and present reports, translate target reactions into design problems, and choose designs for validation.
- Publish and present results, and contribute to follow-up proposals.
- Teach and supervise students.
Candidate requirements
- PhD in computational biology, biochemistry, computational chemistry or a related field.
- Experience in computational protein or enzyme design; solid understanding of enzyme mechanisms.
- Hands-on machine-learning experience: dataset preparation, training of custom models, development of new architectures.
- Strong Python and Linux/HPC skills; experience with tools such as RFdiffusion, ProteinMPNN/LigandMPNN, AlphaFold or Boltz.
- Ability to set research directions independently, compare alternative approaches critically, and collaborate with experimental groups.
- Good English and willingness to learn German.
- Desirable: QM/MM, molecular dynamics or Rosetta experience.
Facility: Institute Medizinische Fakultät, Insitut für Klinische Pharmazie
Type of employment: Befristet for 1 Jahr
Working hours: Vollzeit (40,00 hours)
Start date: 01.12.2026
Remuneration: TV-L 13
- A modern workplace and attractive working conditions, including mobile working
- Flexible working hours and a good work-life balance
- A discounted public transport ticket (MDV JobTicket)
How to Apply
Please apply for this position through our applicant portal by 19.11.2026.
Your Contact Person
For information about the application process, please contact Anja Landsmann (T: +49 341 97 25730, E: [email protected]).
Applicants with severe disabilities will be given priority consideration where they are equally qualified. Please include the relevant supporting documentation with your application.
Please note that, due to legal requirements, we can only hire applicants who are immune to measles. You will be required to provide the relevant proof of immunity.