Postdoctoral researcher in organic chemistry

UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS; France; Sur place; EUR 35 000 - 45 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A leading educational institute in France is seeking a talented Postdoctoral Research Assistant to advance research in phosphorus chemistry. The successful candidate will focus on synthesizing nitrogen-containing heteroaromatics and optimizing their properties, contributing to groundbreaking fluorescence imaging applications. The role demands strong organic chemistry skills and offers an enriching research environment with state-of-the-art facilities.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in phosphorus chemistry appreciated but not mandatory.
• Strong skills in literature analysis and multi-step synthesis.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Responsabilités

• Synthesize innovative nitrogen-containing small-sized heteroaromatics incorporating phosphorus.
• Investigate and optimize synthetic pathways towards P,N-heteroaromatics.
• Explore photophysical properties of synthesized compounds.

Connaissances

Literature analysis skills

Multi-step synthesis

Purification techniques

Analytical techniques (NMR, LC-MS)

Spectroscopy (UV-vis, fluorescence)

Excellent communication skills

Team collaboration

Formation

PhD in synthetic organic chemistry

Outils

SciFinder

Reaxys

Flash chromatography

Preparative HPLC

NMR

LC-MS

UV-vis spectroscopy

Fluorescence spectroscopy

Description du poste

Organisation/Company UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS Research Field Chemistry » Organic chemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Postdoc Positions Country France Application Deadline 20 Dec 2025 - 12:00 (Europe/Paris) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37h30 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Presentation of the project:

Biological imaging methods are invaluable today to gain information on organs, cells, subcellular structures and molecular interactions with minimal interference. An emerging technique is fluorescence imaging, which relies on the use of fluorophores that can be covalently attached to a plethora of biologically relevant molecules to allow the visualization of various biological phenomena, from enzyme activity to the localization of tumors. To unlock the potential of fluorescence imaging for in vivo applications, absorption and emission in the near-infrared (NIR) range is needed as tissues easily scatter visible light while being subject to strong autofluorescence. Currently, common NIR fluorophores are designed from a very small set of aromatic scaffolds
such as modified cyanine dyes or BODIPY derivatives. Issues associated with these dyes include poor photostability (high photobleaching rate), small Stokes shifts, poor water solubility and large molecular sizes. Thus, the obtention of compact NIR fluorophores endowed with favorable optical properties is highly desirable. For that purpose, a promising strategy relies on the incorporation of phosphorus into aromatic scaffolds. Indeed, the pyramidal geometry of phosphorus gives rise to σ*-π* interactions when part of a conjugated system, thus reducing the energy of the LUMO. Furthermore, the rich chemistry (oxidation, sulfidation, alkylation) of phosphorus offers many advantages such as facile fine-tuning of the fluorescence properties, easy access to charged species that impart water solubility and convenient anchoring point for bioconjugation.

Presentation of the Service / laboratory:

The research will take place at ICOA, an internationally recognized institute endowed with state-of the-art facilities (automated flash chromatography, routine NMR 400/500 MHz and LC-MS, HRMS, spectrofluorometer with NIR module) and with a strong expertise in heterocyclic chemistry.

Presentation of the missions:

To tackle this challenge, the CheMBioLight team at ICOA, Université d’Orléans is looking for a talented and motivated postdoctoral research assistant to join our team. This position will focus on the synthesis of innovative nitrogen-containing small-sized heteroaromatics that incorporate phosphorus atoms. These compounds were selected on the basis of DFT and TD-DFT calculations that predict optical properties in the NIR window. The successful candidate will investigate and optimize synthetic pathways towards these P,N-heteroaromatics and explore their photophysical properties.

Présentation of the profile:

PhD in synthetic organic chemistry. A previous experience in phosphorus chemistry would be appreciated but is not mandatory.

Strong skills in literature analysis (SciFinder/Reaxys), multi-step synthesis, purification (flash chromatography, preparative HPLC), analytical techniques (NMR, LC-MS), spectroscopy (UV-vis, fluorescence) are required, as well as excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work
independently and as part of a team.