Assay Development Assay Development consultants will be expected to provide senior-level Process Chemistry expertise and contribute feedback and guidance on projects to the NIH and to LDT members through conference calls and by email. The role of the Process Chemistry consultant may include but is not limited to the following responsibilities and tasks: • Consultants may be required to evaluate bioactivity assays and recommend strategies and experiments to optimize and/or validate the assays for use in a medicinal chemistry campaign. • Assay development consultants may be asked to assist in the establishment of milestones related to assay optimization or validation. • Consultant may be required provide guidance on the design and interpretation of commonly used in vivo assays, such as cognitive and behavioral tests. • Serve as the assay development expert in order to identify potential developmental challenges and suggest strategies to address these challenges on realistic timelines. • In partnership with other consultants, contractors, and the NIH staff, advise, strategically plan, and manage programs to facilitate lead optimization, IND enabling, and clinical studies. • Serve as a resource to lead development team members for assay requirements, and logistics to conduct drug development activities for small molecule compounds from the preclinical stage through to the initial clinical stage. • In partnership with other consultants, contractors, and the NIH staff, advise, strategically plan, and manage programs to facilitate lead optimization, IND enabling, and clinical studies. • Serve as a resource to lead development team members for assay requirements, and logistics to conduct drug development activities for small molecule compounds from the preclinical stage through to the initial clinical stage. • Collaborate on the design of investigative studies in support of development compounds. This study is part of the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative to speed scientific solutions to understand the basis of pain and enhance clinical pain management. It’s part of the program that establishes novel treatment options for a variety of pain conditions to improve quality of life and reduce opioid dependency. The program studies a broad range of pain conditions, including chronic overlapping pain conditions, chronic musculoskeletal pain, perioperative pain, and knee osteoarthritis.