Subject: 98.10.16 US-CT-MEDICINAL/ORGANIC CHEMIST PHARMACEUTICAL

From: "Jón Valgeirsson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 23:01:44 -0000

Dear recipient,

I noticed an advertisement from your company on a internet Comp.Chem.
joblist (http://www.ccl.net/cca/jobs/joblist).

I am sorry to bother you as I am not actually seeking a job as this time,
but more to inquire about the industry´s needs.

I am about to embark upon a Ph.D. study in Computer aided drug design and am
lucky enough to be able to choose between two projects:

One is with a relatively well known group in Comp.Chem. and the project
would be very specialized, that is optimization of one particular algorithm
and would involve little contact with "actual" chemistry and medicinal
chemists (very theoretical).

The other project is at a Med.Chem./Pharmacology group that does not have
the same experience/prestige in Comp.Chem. but has all necessary
hardware/software and is prepared to let me consult with whatever experts
are in the field at other institutions.  This group has also a very active
drug design project going on and is "very likely" to produce some active
leads in the near future and is very active in publications.

So in a nutshell the question is this:

In hiring new Comp.Chemist what do you look for ?

Is it a very specialised/technical Ph.D. under a "guru" in the field ?

or a Ph.D. which involves "hands on" ecperiance on actual comp. drug design
albeit from an lesser known group (but with relevant publications of
success)  ?

As you may have guessed I am inclined to join the latter group, but I want
to establish that I wont be "shooting myself in the foot" be not joining the
most famous professor.

			Thank you very much for your time,

		Jon Valgeirsson
		Holtsgata 31
		101 Reykavik
		ICELAND

	E-MAIL:  [email-masked]