Postdoc

Job Offer No. 758 The department Data Driven Drug Design at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) in Saarbrücken, is seeking to fill the position of a Postdoc (m/f/d) HIPS was founded in 2009 as a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with Saarland University and is the first publicly funded non-university research institution in Germany dedicated exclusively to pharmaceutical research.

HIPS focuses on the discovery and development of new active substances for the treatment of infectious diseases. The departments at HIPS work closely with Saarland University and the local pharmaceutical industry, as well as with national and international research institutions and companies. Since 2009, HIPS has grown steadily to over 220 employees in 2023 and is currently being expanded in terms of space and subject areas with funding from the state and federal government.

The core research areas of HIPS are being strengthened and supplemented by adding state-of-the-art bioinformatics and microbiota research to the institute's portfolio. In order to accommodate the growing number of researchers at HIPS, new laboratory and office space will be set up in the coming years. As part of an interdisciplinary research project, bioinformaticians from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland and physicists from the Helmholtz Center Jülich are working on quantum algorithms for the development of novel active substances in pharmaceutical research.

The focus is on the areas of machine learning and optimization. Together with a dedicated partner from the field of physics, they are beginning with a rough investigation of possible applications from drug research and suitable quantum algorithms. They will then focus on individual promising candidates for application-algorithm pairs and examine them in depth.

Specifically, this includes: Responsibilities: The selection of algorithms that are most promising for implementation using quantum algorithms, primarily from the fields of cheminformatics and computer-aided drug design (e.g., molecular similarity search, virtual screening, molecular property prediction, or molecular optimization) Contributions to the expansion, development, and analysis of new quantum algorithms for drug discovery that are applicable to quantum computers that will be available in the near future and that are error-corrected Interaction with physicists to enable the investigation of possible quantum acceleration for real-world problems Optionally, the estimation of quantum computer resources required for the developed quantum algorithms and the development of quantum algorithms for efficient input and output of data sets from drug discovery Leading contributions to technical reports and scientific articles Supervision of doctoral and master's theses Requirements: Completed doctorate in physics, computer science, mathematics, bioinformatics, or comparable fields Proven research experience in cheminformatics, computer-aided drug design, computational chemistry, or molecular modelling.

Experience in quantum algorithms or quantum information theory is an advantage but not required. A strong interest in applying quantum technologies to drug discovery research is expected Good organizational and communication skills Ability to work independently in interdisciplinary teams Good written and spoken English skills Ideally, good written and spoken German skills Ideally, experience in software development Able to work as part of a team We offer you: An attractive and varied job in a future-oriented research institute A state-of-the-art infrastructure and the latest technologies Flexible working hours, part-time models as well as home office A corporate culture of appreciation and promotion of equal opportunities Extensive training and continuing education opportunities to develop professional knowledge and personal skills A family office to support family and career as well as childcare offers Interesting additional public service benefits Possibility of an employer subsidy for the job ticket People with severe disabilities and equivalent professional qualifications who are suitable for the position are given preference.

In order to protect your rights, we ask you to provide us with a clearly recognizable reference to the existence of a degree of severe disability in your cover letter or resume. The position is held at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research GmbH (HZI) in Braunschweig. The place of employment is Saarbrücken. The HZI is actively committed to equality, diversity and integration.

For this reason, the HZI pursues the goal of professional equality between women and men. The position is suitable for part-time work. Starting date: As soon as possible. The contract will initially run for two years. Salary: E 13 TV EntGO Bund Working time: 39.00 hours per week Place of work: Saarbrücken Probation period: 6 Monate Closing date: 15/11/2026 The position is embedded in the Data Driven Drug Design research group led by Prof.

Dr. Andrea Volkamer. Further information on the group can be found at: https://www.helmholtz-hips.de/en/research/people/person/prof-dr-andrea-volkamer/ For further information please contact Anna Priester via email: [email protected] . Please apply via our career portal. Please include a cover letter, resume, (employment) references, certificates, and (if available) work samples or reference projects with your application materials.

Please refrain from sending a photo. We look forward to receiving your application!