About Us
Cyclica is the partner of choice for data-driven drug discovery. We advance molecules that embrace the complexity of disease. Our work spans dozens of collaborations with large pharma and biotech as well as 50 partnerships and counting. We are a passionate team of biotech and pharma professionals, biologists, chemists, and computer scientists who live and labor at the intersection of our collective expertise. For more information about our company, please visit: www.cyclicarx.com.
Equal Opportunity
Cyclica is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Cyclica recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by provincial and/or federal law.
Accommodations for candidates with disabilities are available on request during all aspects of the recruitment and selection process. If accommodation is needed during the recruitment and selection process, please contact us at careers@cyclicarx.com and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.
Why work at Cyclica?
Cyclica owes its success to its team of highly motivated and talented individuals. We pride ourselves on enabling our employees to succeed by fostering their skills, interests, and creativity. Our people and culture are important to us, that’s why we offer a wide range of benefits to support our team members:
- Work from Anywhere
- Flexible Work Arrangements
- Employee Stock Options
- 4 weeks Paid Vacation Days
- Two (1) Week Company Shutdowns (Summer and Winter Holidays)
- Unlimited Wellness Days
- Corporate Wellness Program
- Health, Dental and Vision Benefits
- Retirement Matching Program
- Parental Leave Top-Up Plan
The Job
We are seeking a Computational Scientist to help us execute on exciting drug discovery programs. Embedded within the Drug Discovery team and supported by the broader R&D/Platforms team, Informatics Specialists will provide project-level, computational analyses and support to strategic drug discovery programs. Specifically, this support may involve assembling key datasets, developing specialized visualizations, adapting ML models for task-specific performance, evaluating new drug discovery tools or mining datasets for new drug discovery opportunities. Furthermore, Computational Scientists will aid in adapting existing technologies and/or perform scripting tasks to increase team efficiencies. On occasion, these scientists will work on specific research tasks to probe the application of established methodologies in specific use cases. Computational Scientists will work closely with the Platforms team to adapt Cyclica technologies for specialized purposes, diligence new technologies, advise on new feature developments, and identify opportunities to improve core technologies.
This position is open to Masters graduates within the Data Science field with applications within medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, computational biology, and computer computer-aided drug design (CADD). Subject-specific training will be provided.
What will you be doing?
- Acquire, synthesize and organize data from multiple sources to support project specific challenges
- Work closely with Drug Discovery scientists to identify challenges within projects that can would benefit from a technological solution (e.g. prediction or automation)
- Rapidly adapt/customize predictive models or technical solutions using internal proprietary and/or open-source software that are in line with company practices
- Work closely within the Drug Discovery team and with broader Platforms teams to identify and remove information management bottlenecks and technical analysis challenges
- In collaboration with Drug Discovery scientists, perform and assist in performing analysis and visualization of data and interpretation of results and recommend appropriate action
- Prepare presentation materials and clearly communicate research approach, methods, and results at internal and sometimes external meetings
- Identify and communicate to the broader platforms team about project-specific learnings to support technological development for broader application
Our Stack:
- Python
- Django / PostgreSQL
- Javascript/React
- Google Cloud Platform
- Ubuntu Server
- BitBucket
Must Haves:
- MSc in chemistry, biology, statistics, mathematics, computer science or engineering, ideally in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry
- Strong scripting experience with demonstrated skills in bringing together data sets from disparate sources including CSV and SDF files as well as local and remote databases using Python
- High degree of technical aptitude and resourcefulness with a proven ability to fill in knowledge gaps/seek answers through research and other avenues
- A commitment to continuous learning and a demonstrated ability to perform in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
- Ability to communicate results of projects to staff scientists as well as non-scientific staff when necessary
- Familiarity with Linux command-line environment
- Effective organizational and communication skills
Nice to Haves:
- Strong experience in applying chemoinformatics within drug discovery programs
- Experience mapping datasets across standard bioinformatics resources like Uniprot or the PDB
- Experience in python-based Data Visualization
- Experience working with CADD approaches and commercial tools
- Familiarity in the state of the art for chemical property/affinity modelling
- Familiarity with PK, or Physiology Based PK modelling
- Familiarity working with commercial electronic lab notebooks and data registries
