Associate Professor/Professor in Chemistry

Location:

White City and South Kensington Campuses

About the role:

The Department of Chemistry invites applications for up to two senior academic appointments (Associate Professor/Professor) to commence within the next 6–18 months.

We are particularly interested in outstanding candidates whose research and teaching align with:

1. medicinal chemistry and therapeutic discovery science; and/or
2. AI-driven approaches to drug discovery and chemical biology.

These appointments form part of a major strategic expansion at Imperial’s White City Campus, a rapidly developing ecosystem for interdisciplinary molecular science, technology innovation, and translation. Successful appointees will join a uniquely collaborative environment anchored by outstanding high-throughput discovery facilities at the Imperial/LMS Drug Discovery Hub, the Institute of Chemical Biology, the Institute for Digital Molecular Design and Fabrication (DigiFAB) and the UKRI-funded AI for Chemistry Hub. Together, these initiatives provide exceptional opportunities for high-throughput chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, data-rich discovery science, and AI/ML-enabled therapeutic research.

What you would be doing:

The successful candidate will develop and lead an internationally competitive research programme within the Department of Chemistry in one or more of the following fields: medicinal chemistry, novel molecular therapeutic modalities, chemical biology, AI-enabled therapeutic discovery.

What we are looking for:

• Evidence of developing and leading a research programme in one or more of the following fields: medicinal chemistry, novel molecular therapeutic modalities, chemical biology, or AI-enabled therapeutic discovery.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, training, and mentoring research staff and students to achieve high standards of scientific excellence.
• Proven ability to secure research funding and grants.
• Experience managing research projects, including planning, coordination, and delivery of research objectives.
• A strong publication record of high-quality research in peer-reviewed journals.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines and contribute to faculty-level or institutional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience teaching and examining at undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels through a range of formats such as lectures, seminars, tutorials, coursework, and individual supervision.
• Experience supervising PhD candidates to successful progress and completion.
• Evidence of contributing to curriculum design or development at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
• Experience leading or contributing to the development of teaching methods and assessment practices.

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
• Continue developing your research in the unique White City Campus ecosystem to build ambitious, collaborative programmes that bridge fundamental molecular discovery with translation research and impact.
• State-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure to develop your research.
• A vibrant, supportive and collaborative academic environment
• An environment that encourages academic leadership in teaching, including opportunities to mentor colleagues and contribute to a strong culture of teaching excellence.
• Opportunities to supervise PhD candidates within a vibrant and internationally recognised research community.
• Support for developing and implementing innovative teaching methods and assessment approaches.
• Grow in your career with tailored training programmes for academic staff including dedicated support with navigating your career and managing research as well as a transparent promotion process.
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources designed to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further Information

Salary: 

Associate Professor - Minimum starting salary of £82,969 per annum
Professor - Minimum starting salary of £94,829 per annum

Closing date: 11 May 2026, 23:59 hours (Midnight BST)

Interview dates: 9th and 10th July 2026

The Department of Chemistry ranked eleven globally in the 2025 QS World University subject rankings, and third in the UK. We are active both in pushing the frontiers of core chemical understanding and in applying cutting edge knowledge to diverse areas of modern molecular science. The Department is proud to hold an Athena Swan Gold Award (renewed for the third consecutive time in 2025) which recognises the good practices in place for supporting women at all stages, including undergraduate, postgraduate, postdoctoral, and early career academic through to professional level.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week).

If you require any further details about the role, please contact:

Professor Ramon Vilar, Head of the Department of Chemistry, Email: r.vilar@imperial.ac.uk

Queries relating to the application process should be directed to:

Mrs Maria Monteiro, Senior Appointments Manager, Email: m.monteiro@imperial.ac.uk 

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

If you experience any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial.

Our culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity and innovation.

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