Senior Computational Chemist

Who are we, and what do we do?

At Corteva Agriscience, you will help us grow what’s next. No matter your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – leading breakthroughs in the innovation and application of science and technology that will better the lives of people all over the world and fuel the progress of humankind.

The computational chemistry team in Corteva Agriscience plays a critical role in the discovery and optimization of new active ingredients through advanced modeling, simulation, and data analysis. We are seeking a Senior Computational Chemist to help define and lead the future of molecule discovery and design at our Indianapolis Global Business Center. This is a unique opportunity to shape how computational chemistry drives innovation to enable resilient and sustainable agriculture.

What You’ll Do:

• Innovate, build and apply novel computational chemistry capabilities that accelerate the design and optimization of novel agrochemical active ingredients for Crop Health R&D.
• Develop and implement advanced molecular modeling, simulation, and AI-based workflows for discovery and pipeline projects.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams to shape project strategy and the design-build-test-learn cycle to integrate and improve computational predictions.
• Mentor and coach scientists, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation and collaboration across teams including chemists, biologists, and data scientists.
• Communicate project progress and key findings to stakeholders, including project leaders and R&D leadership.
• Keep pace with technological advances and contribute to intellectual property generation, scientific publications, and presentations at internal and external meetings.

What Skills You Need:

Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry, Data Science, Chemical Informatics, Chemistry, or a related scientific field.

10+ years of experience applying computational chemistry in the pharmaceutical or agricultural industry.

Demonstrated expertise in multiple computational approaches such as molecular modeling, virtual screening, homology modeling, pharmacophore elucidation, free energy perturbation, homology modeling, and/or structure-based drug design.

Solid knowledge base and experience in the incorporation of data science methods (e.g., machine learning and generative AI) in molecule design and optimization.

Proven experience working with large datasets, scientific computing and large-scale computing environments (e.g., HPC clusters, cloud computing).

Excellent communication (written and verbal), interpersonal, and technical writing skills.

What makes you stand out:

Strong background in cheminformatics, statistics, machine learning, and/or other data-driven modeling approaches.

Experience combining chemistry-based mechanistic modeling with data-driven modeling in hybrid models for molecule design/optimization.

Familiarity with modern software tools and programming languages used in computational chemistry (e.g., Schrödinger Suite, MOE, AMBER, Gaussian, Python).

Track record of impactful publications or patents in computational chemistry or molecule design/optimization.

Experience mentoring or leading technical teams.