Principal or Senior Principal Scientist Computational Drug Discovery

Zealand Pharma • Boston, MA

1d

About The Position

Zealand Pharma is expanding its global R&D capabilities and establishing new research units in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As part of this growth, Molecular Platform Development is being created to strengthen and advance diverse drug modality capabilities in metabolic disease. In this role as Principal or Senior Principal Scientist – Computational Drug Discovery, the position serves as a senior individual contributor and scientific leader, influencing discovery direction across multiple programs while helping define strategy, culture, and best practices within the new organization.

Requirements

• PhD in Computational Chemistry, Computational Biology, Computational Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Chemical Biology, or a related field (postdoctoral training preferred)
• 6+ years of relevant post-degree experience (Principal Scientist) or 8+ years (Senior Principal Scientist) in computational drug discovery
• Demonstrated track record of computational insights materially influencing programs that have advanced molecules into clinical development
• Deep expertise in structure-guided modeling and quantitative/statistical approaches relevant to protein- and peptide-based drug discovery
• Proven ability to integrate experimental structural data with quantitative structure–activity reasoning and sequence–structure–function analysis to guide molecular design and prioritization
• Strong cross-functional understanding of experimental discovery and early development disciplines (e.g., protein expression, peptide synthesis, formulation/stability, and in vitro/in vivo pharmacology) to support realistic design decisions

Responsibilities

• Define and drive computational drug discovery strategy aligned with Zealand Pharma’s metabolic disease portfolio and long-term objectives
• Co-develop discovery hypotheses and molecular design strategies with experimental colleagues to accelerate iterative design–make–test–analyze learning cycles
• Lead structure-guided and quantitative modeling approaches from early concept through lead candidate selection
• Provide structure-guided analysis of target druggability and tractability in order to guide modality suitability assessments
• Establish and evolve computational discovery capabilities for protein- and peptide-based modalities (including bioconjugates and fusions), integrating physics- and LLM-based methods where they add interpretable value
• Mentor and support the development of computational scientists and strengthen cross-functional understanding and appropriate use of computational models and analyses

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree