Senior Staff Scientist, Organic Synthesis
University of Toronto
- Toronto, ON
- Permanent
- Full-time
Req ID: 36245
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Acceleration Consortium
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)Description:The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (U of T) is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization. The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs). These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy and consumer electronics to drugs. AC Senior Staff Scientists will advance the field of AI-driven autonomous discovery and develop the materials and molecules required to address society's largest challenges, such as climate change, water pollution, and future pandemics.The Acceleration Consortium (AC) promotes inclusive research environment and supports the EDI priorities of the unit.Hiring is occurring on a rolling intake. Please apply ASAP and do not wait for the listed job closing date.The Acceleration Consortium received a for seven years to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University. This grant will provide the Acceleration Consortium with seven years of funding to execute its vision.The AC is developing seven advanced SDLs. These include:
- SDL1 - Inorganic solid-state compounds for advanced materials and energy
- SDL2 - Organic small molecules for sustainability and health
- SDL3 - Medicinal chemistry for improving small molecule drug candidates
- SDL4 - Polymers for materials science and biological applications
- SDL5 - Formulations for pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and coatings
- SDL6 - Biocompatibility with organoids / organ-on-a-chip
- SDL7 - Synthetic scale-up of materials and molecules (University of British Colombia partner lab)
- A central AI and Automation lab to support all the SDLs
Organic small molecules expertise
- Multi-step synthesis and purification of complex small molecules
- High-throughput organic synthesis, purification, and processing
- Characterization of small molecules using a variety of techniques
- Enabling synthetic technologies (e.g., flow chemistry, photochemistry, electrochemistry, etc)
Artificial intelligence / automation expertise
- Machine learning to accelerate the discovery of molecules and materials
- Robotics and automation
- Experimental planning and design/optimization
- Programming and high-performance computing
- Facility Management and Operations
- Overseeing the activity of the laboratory technicians servicing the labs
- Supporting the selection, procurement, and installation of equipment
- Managing laboratory budgets
- Scheduling and coordinating lab access
- Research Direction
- Managing the research and development projects of AC's industry partners when implemented in AC labs.
- Developing plans that support research collaborations and planning and estimating financial resources required for programs and/or projects.
- Supervising the work of Staff Scientists, Software Engineers, Research Associates, and Post-doctoral Fellows.
- Working with Product Managers to ensure research outcomes meet partner requirements.
- Monitoring and reporting on relevant research activity to the Academic Director and Executive Director.
- Promoting AC's research capacity, including delivering presentations at conferences.
- Collaboration in the preparation and submission of research proposals to granting agencies and progress reporting.
- Preparing manuscripts for submission to peer review publications/journals and stewarding them through the process.
- Other
- Supporting consulting services related to the application of SDLs for materials discovery for the AC's partners.
- Support research-focused events such as the Annual Symposium.
- Over 10 years of experience in research and development
- Experience working closely with a Principal Investigator or as a Principal Investigator, or as a Project Director with responsibilities of managing, developing and executing a major research project
- Strong experience and expert knowledge of AI and automation.
- Experience with the development of self-driving laboratories and overseeing the activities of a lab
- Experience working with industry partners and on industry led research and development projects
- Strong experience presenting research at academic conferences
- Experience managing research staff
- Experience managing a laboratory budget and procuring equipment
- Must have a strong scholarly publication record
- Strong and effective communicator in oral and written English
- Collegial in working with team members and collaborators
- Ability to work independently
- Demonstrated success in the writing and preparation of manuscripts, presentations, reports, briefs, and scientific abstracts and manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals.
Employee Group: Research Associate
Appointment Type: Grant - Continuing
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: 150K - 180K (salary will be assessed based on skills and experince)
Job Category: Administrative / ManagerialAll qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.Diversity StatementThe University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see .Accessibility StatementThe University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact .