Research Scientist (COMPASS Pathways)

Closing Date
11 Apr 2022
Address
Greater London, UK (home based with partial office attendance).

About the job

We currently have an opening for a Research Scientist with a keen interest in the genetics and epigenetics of neuropsychiatric disorders.

COMPASS Pathways plc is a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health. Our focus is on improving the lives of those who are suffering with mental health challenges and who are not helped by current treatments. We are pioneering the development of a new model of psilocybin therapy, in which our proprietary formulation of synthetic psilocybin, COMP360, is administered in conjunction with psychological support.

COMP360 has been designated a Breakthrough Therapy by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and we have completed a phase IIb clinical trial of psilocybin therapy for TRD, in 22 sites across Europe and North America. We are also running a phase II clinical trial of COMP360 psilocybin therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). COMPASS is headquartered in London, UK, with offices in New York and San Francisco in the US. Our vision is a world of mental wellbeing. www.compasspathways.com.

Preclinical research is fundamental to the COMPASS mission and one of our key investment areas. Our multi-disciplinary preclinical team brings together a range of subject matter experts with extensive academic and industrial experience to deliver innovation at the earliest stages of the drug discovery and development process.

In addition to providing the foundational science to support our investigational COMP360 psilocybin therapy on its clinical journey, we are committed to building a broad and sustainable portfolio of assets, e.g. through our Discovery Center, that will transform how mental health care is delivered. We collaborate with academics and partners at the cutting edge of science, and have a bold scientific vision to embrace translational and integrative neuroscience approaches that will move us far beyond traditional approaches to psychiatric drug discovery. 

 

Roles and responsibilities

Main responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

  • Designing and managing preclinical research studies focused on genetic and epigenetic aspects of neuropsychiatry
  • Engaging relevant internal and external stakeholders to generate high-quality research data to support strategic goals of the business (might require occasional international travel)
  • Ensuring research studies are conducted with an emphasis on Quality, in accordance with appropriate SOPs, regulatory and legislative guidelines
  • Maintaining good working relationships with academic and contract research organisations
  • Generating high-quality written scientific documents (study reports, SOPs, scientific publications, patents, internal and/or regulatory documents)
  • Participation in and presentation of scientific data at both internal and external conferences/meetings
  • Conducting cross-functional literature searches, with written and oral communicate of results
  • The responsibilities do not involve running any experiments/wet lab benchwork

 

Profile

  • PhD in neurosciences, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology preferred
  • Expertise in genetics and/or epigenetics preferably applied to psychiatric and/or CNS disorders
  • Practical experience conducting research with a knowledge of cutting edge techniques such as ChIP-seq, bisulfite sequencing and/or ATAC-seq
  • Experience working with a range of preclinical models as well as human samples
  • Experience communicating complex scientific data both in written and oral forms
  • Experience in translational research and/or drug discovery especially for neuropsychiatric disorders, or at least strong interest in this field
  • Strong analytical and problem solving kills with an attention to detail
  • Well-organised, able to comply with processes and regulations with strong project management skills
  • Self-motivated with an ability to work both collaboratively and independently

 

The closing date for this job advert is unspecified. The closing date 30/04/2022 was chosen arbitrarily to support the requirements of our webpage.