Medicinal chemist, drug discovery

I’m John (He/Him/His) and I work at the University of Cape Town as a medicinal chemist.

How were you inspired to work in chemistry? What keeps you motivated?

Chemists, foremost, are interested in molecules and manipulating matter. As a child, I enjoyed playing with Lego building blocks and concocting mixtures in the kitchen. Working as a chemist is a natural progression of those pastimes.

I am motivated by the idea that I am making a very small (albeit valuable) contribution to the great enterprise of science that will eventually (potentially) lead to a tangible difference in the lives of those suffering from preventable and curable infectious diseases.

What do you love about your job?

I love the variety of my job – from the interactions with my colleagues whose expertise may span a variety of scientific disciplines, to the time spent at my desk learning new things, to the hours devoted to making new molecules in the laboratory.

I love being part of a team and an organisation that attempts to make a difference to the world by discovering new medicines for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

What is your typical day like?

Every day is different – and somewhat unpredictable! Some time may be spent in meetings, discussing recent results and designing our next target molecules, or at my desk, analysing recent data or planning the best synthetic routes. Most of my time is spent in the lab, setting up reactions and manipulating flasks and equipment to make and purify new molecules. Needless to say, experiments in the lab seldom go according to plan – keeping everyone on their toes!

Much of my work is what we call ‘wet chemistry’, but the ‘dry’ side – at the computer, running data analysis, discussing and planning future molecules – is increasing too. 

What tips or advice would you have for someone looking to get into a similar role as a medicinal chemist, or considering a career in chemistry?

An idea that I have found helpful is the Japanese concept of “ikigai” which roughly translates as “a reason for jumping out of bed each morning”. What do you love? What are you good at? What does the world need? What can you be paid for? For me, chemistry lies at the intersection of those four questions.

What skills do you need for your job?

Teamwork, problem solving, data handling, good communication, and technical skills are all necessary. The diversity of skills required as a medicinal chemist, from laboratory skills to those of a less tangible nature such as working together as a team and effective communication, is one of the aspects that makes the job interesting and challenging.

How did your qualifications help you get your job?

After my degree I completed several years of postgraduate study in chemistry, eventually culminating in a doctorate in chemistry, and now I’m doing a postdoctoral fellowship in medicinal chemistry at the University of Cape Town. It’s interdisciplinary, taking in pharmacology, biology and even public health: all the strands needed to make a difference to people’s lives through chemistry.

To be a postdoctoral medicinal chemist you need to hold a doctorate in chemistry, preferably specialising in medicinal chemistry or synthetic organic chemistry. Although I hadn’t formally engaged in medicinal chemistry prior to my current role, my doctoral thesis had a strong organic chemistry component and was focused on malaria chemical biology, so this provided a good foundation to join a malaria drug discovery project.

First published 2021