About Us
VIB is a world-class life sciences research institute in Flanders, Belgium, with more than 2.000 scientists & support staff across 5 universities. VIB has a long and successful history of translating scientific breakthroughs into impactful societal innovations and new innovative biotech companies. VIB values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
The current position is within the VIB Discovery Sciences (VIB DS) team, a group of around 20 translational research scientists and technicians with a strong industry background. VIB DS focuses on the validation and translation of VIB's scientific breakthroughs into drug, biomarker and diagnostic discovery projects to support new ventures and licensing opportunities as part of the VIB Innovation & Business team.
Role Overview
VIB DS is seeking a highly experienced Senior Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry with expertise in Computational Drug Discovery. This individual will bring both broad drug discovery project leadership experience and a computational mindset, enabling VIB DS to support and guide a wide range of discovery programs across different target classes and modalities.
This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic thinker with an excellent grasp of the entire drug discovery continuum and a passion for applying innovative computational approaches to practical problems in medicinal chemistry. The selected candidate will be working closely with a team of “drug hunters” exploring some of the latest advances in structural modelling and artificial intelligence applied to drug discovery. She/he will bring consolidated experience in compound design, a keen interest in exploring modern views to Medicinal Chemistry such as “Free Drug” concepts, and willing to do so in tandem with a team of tech-savvy modelers, computer scientists and AI experts at VIB.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide expert scientific and strategic guidance to early discovery programs across VIB, supporting small molecule design, optimization, and triage
- Conduct in-depth SAR analysis, combining experimental and in silico data towards the design of therapeutics
- Apply and supervise structure- and ligand-based design strategies, leveraging molecular modeling, pharmacophore modelling, docking, and cheminformatics tools
- Serve as a bridge between experimental and computational scientists, guiding hit-to-lead and lead optimization phases
- Foster cross-functional collaborations between structural biology, high-throughput screening, computational biology, and medicinal chemistry groups
- Help shape and integrate computational tools and infrastructure, driving innovation and efficiency in design-decision processes
- Act as a consultant and subject matter expert to scientific staff across the VIB network
Qualifications
- PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemistry, or a related field
- 5-10 years of relevant industry experience in Medicinal Chemistry and Small-Molecule Drug Discovery
- Strong foundation in computational methods (e.g. docking, molecular dynamics, QSAR, machine learning)
- Experience working across diverse target classes
- Demonstrated impact on discovery programs, from early hit finding to candidate nomination
- Hands on, can do mentality
- Excellent communication and mentoring skills; collaborative mindset
- Fluency in English (verbally and in writing) is mandatory
Preferred Experience
- Leadership in interdisciplinary project teams
- Familiarity with public-private partnerships or academic-industry translational environments
- Network within the European or global drug discovery ecosystem
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Meticulous, independent and self-motivated
- Solution-driven mindset
- Proactive, eager to learn new techniques and expand knowledge
- Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting and communication skills
- A collegial spirit and collaborative approach are highly valued
Benefits
- Candidates are offered a full-time, open-ended contract, working primarily from our site in Leuven. Part-time working conditions may be negotiable
- Full social security, including pension scheme and health care program
- We provide a supportive, stimulating and international environment with a clear focus on drug development at the forefront of life science, in an awesome team
- Lifelong learning: access to VIB’s personal and professional development initiatives
How to apply?
Motivated candidates should apply online. A complete application file (English) should contain the following documents:
- your cover/motivation letter
- your CV
- at least two references
