Research Consultant for facility manager role of Frag2Drug platform at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology

We are looking for a highly motivated and independent Research Consultant for a position as facility manager for an in-house fragment-based screening and drug discovery facility (Frag2Drug) funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The position is full-time (37 hours per week) and permanent. Starting date is 1 January 2026 or as soon as possible.

Our research
Frag2Drug will be an open-access, state-of-the-art drug discovery facility that integrates biophysical screening and protein crystallization. Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and high-throughput X-ray crystallography, this platform will accelerate the discovery of drug leads and pharmacological tools for unmet medical needs, serving both academic and industrial users.

The platform will include equipment for protein crystallization, liquid and crystal handling, SPR machines, and two libraries of fragments (small molecules <300 Da) tailored for SPR and X-ray crystallography. This setup enables a full workflow for fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), from hit-finding to fragment-to-lead (F2L) optimization. Users may also bring their own compounds for testing, including small molecules, peptides, or proteins. In addition, a computational chemistry module will complement the experimental workflow with analogue searches and optimization.

Building on our expertise in FBDD, Frag2Drug will offer a modern, well-equipped platform that integrates screening, X-ray crystallography, and computational tools, while connecting to the large regional infrastructure MAX IV. Frag2Drug will serve as a hub for early drug discovery, fostering innovation, training researchers, and strengthening national and international collaborations, thereby helping to further position Denmark at the forefront of advanced drug discovery.

Your job
Your first task is to establish the platform, including purchasing and quality check new equipment and create standard procedures for operating and maintaining them. When the facility is operational, the main tasks are user support and maintenance, which includes attracting and training new users, advising on, e.g., sample preparation and requirements, support with data collection and assistance with data analysis on selected collaborative projects. Your tasks also include managing the requests and scheduling, user accounts, as well as providing material for annual reports on the use and outcomes, organizing annual user meetings, contributing to training courses and outreaches activities promoting the facility. You will be responsible for the daily maintenance of the instrument and contribute to its continued developments.

Profile
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Research Consultant with solid technical knowledge as well as capabilities to support and extend the network around the facility. Specifically, we are looking for the following competencies and experience:

Essential experience and skills

• You have documented experience in X-ray crystallography, including protein crystallization, soaking and co-crystallization methods, diffraction data collection, and structural elucidation of small-molecule/protein co-structures.
• You have documented experience in SPR, including establishing assays, running experiments, and data analysis.
• You have documented experience in FBDD, including fragment-based crystallographic screening and hit assessment by SPR.
• You have an active interest in instrumentation and/or method development.
• You have proven an ability to envision, plan and execute research projects
• Service-minded with clear communication and networking skills 
• Good English skills, written and spoken

Desirable experience and skills

• You have a PhD in structural biology, biophysics, biochemistry, or related.

• Knowledge of protein expression and purification is an advantage.
• Experience with other biophysical techniques for characterization of biological macromolecules, such as small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and thermal shift assay (TSA).
• Experience and knowledge of computational methods, such as molecular docking and virtual screening.
• Similar facility manager roles in the past.

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of salary and employment
The employment as ‘Research Consultant’(AC-TAP) is a full-time (37 hours/week) and permanent position. Starting date is as soon as possible. Employment will be in accordance with the provisions of the collective agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). The monthly salary will be based on the number of years of work experience (seniority) with the possibility to negotiate a salary supplement based on prior experiences and qualifications. The employer will pay an additional 18.07% to your pension fund.

Questions
For further information regarding the position, please contact platform responsible Professor Anders Bach; anders.bach@sund.ku.dk or Head of Department Professor Dan StærkDepartment; ds@sund.ku.dk

Learn more: Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, drug.ku.dk

Application
Your application should be in English and include:

• Letter of application addressing the requirements (max. one page).
• Curriculum Vitae (incl. two references) 
• A certified/signed copy of certificate(s) of education

Please submit your application by clicking on “Apply Now” below. Only online applications will be accepted.

Application deadline: 9 November 2025, 23.59 CET
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.