Natural Products Chemist

Corteva Agriscience; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Retirement plan

Job summary

Corteva Agriscience in Indianapolis seeks a Natural Products Chemist to advance isolation and characterization of bioactive natural products within a multidisciplinary team.

The role emphasizes developing robust extraction and analytics, including advanced chromatography, NMR, and mass spectrometry, with collaboration across biology, data science, and chemistry to deliver sustainable product pipelines for global agriculture.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in natural products/organic chemistry or related field.
• Experience isolating natural products from complex matrices.
• Proficiency with chromatography (RP-HPLC, NP-HPLC, HILIC, ion exchange, SEC, SPE, SFC).
• Structure elucidation using 1D/2D NMR and mass spectrometry.
• Ability to design experiments and interpret results.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.
• Meticulous organization and attention to detail.
• Strong desire to impact global food security.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute isolation methods for natural products from complex matrices.
• Elucidate structures of natural products using spectroscopic techniques.
• Develop and optimize extraction, detection, and quantitation of metabolites; collaborate across disciplines.

Skills

Natural product isolation

Structure elucidation

Chromatography methods

NMR & MS analysis

Experimental design

Communication

Attention to detail

Food security impact

Education

Ph.D. in natural products/organic chemistry

Tools

DFT methods

Automation/liquid handling

Job description

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 Molecular Platforms team in Corteva Agriscience plays a critical role in the discovery, development, and optimization of microbial and small molecule natural product active ingredients. We are seeking a Natural Products Chemist to join our multi-disciplinary team at Indianapolis Global Headquarters as we grow our pipeline of sustainable products.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and execute isolation methods for natural products and metabolites from complex matrices (e.g., environmental, microbial, or plant) via chromatographic and other techniques.
• Elucidate the structure of complex natural products using a variety of spectroscopic and analytical techniques.
• Develop and optimize methods for the extraction, detection, and quantitation of secondary metabolites from microbial fermentation samples. Promote information sharing and collaborate with scientists across disciplines (e.g., synthetic chemists, biologists, data scientists, metabolomics scientists) in a team-oriented environment.

What Skills You Need

• Ph.D. in natural products/organic chemistry or a related field.
• Isolation of secondary metabolites or similar natural products from complex biochemical matrices.
• Broad range of separation techniques, including analytical and preparative scale chromatography (e.g. RP-HPLC, NP-HPLC, HILIC, Ion exchange, SEC, SPE, SFC).
• Structure elucidation of complex secondary metabolites using both 1D, 2D NMR techniques and mass spectrometry.
• Ability to design experiments and critically interpret results.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.
• Meticulous organization and attention to detail.
• A strong desire to make an impact on global food security.

Preferred Skills

• A background in natural products chemistry and knowledge of natural product biosynthetic pathways.
• Demonstrated success in isolation of many natural products in a collaborative environment.
• Experience with the isolation and characterization of microbial natural products.
• Experience in using density functional theory (DFT) methods for structure elucidation of natural products.
• Experience or familiarity with microbiology and fermentation techniques to enable natural product isolation.
• Familiarity with automation (e.g., liquid handing).

Benefits – How We’ll Support You

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits
• Check out life at Corteva! www.linkedin.com/company/corteva/life

Corteva Agriscience is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.