Postdoctoral Fellow — Chemical Biology & Therapeutics

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond seeks a Post‑Doctoral Fellow with expertise in synthetic chemistry and/or chemical biology. The laboratory focuses on small molecules for therapeutics and chemical tools in disease biology, including opioid and pain therapeutics and cancer targets.

You will design, synthesize, characterize, and evaluate small molecules across multidisciplinary programs, working with chemical biology, pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Chemistry, or a closely related field by the start date.
• Demonstrated expertise in organic synthesis, including synthetic route design, multi-step synthesis, purification, and troubleshooting of synthetic reactions.
• Experience with compound characterization and structural elucidation using methods such as NMR, LC/MS, HPLC, and related analytical techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan, execute, analyze, and communicate scientific experiments.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and a demonstrated ability to maintain accurate experimental records.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility with faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a Post‑Doctoral Fellow at VCU.

Responsibilities

• Design novel small molecules and develop efficient synthetic strategies and routes for their preparation.
• Synthesize, purify, and characterize target compounds and troubleshoot challenging synthetic transformations.
• Characterize compounds using techniques including NMR, LC/MS or HRMS, HPLC, IR, and related analytical methods.
• Analyze structure–activity relationships and experimental data to guide subsequent design and optimization.
• Collaborate with researchers in chemical biology, pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational chemistry to prioritize experiments.
• Contribute to planning, execution, and interpretation of biochemical, cellular, and pharmacological studies as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate laboratory notebooks and experimental records.
• Present research findings at meetings and conferences and contribute to manuscripts and grants.
• Assist with mentoring and training students and junior lab members.
• Contribute to a safe, organized, collaborative, and professional lab environment.

Skills

PhD in Chemistry

Organic synthesis

Compound characterization

Independent planning

Documentation

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Tools

NMR

LC/MS

HPLC

Job description

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond seeks a Post‑Doctoral Fellow with expertise in synthetic chemistry and/or chemical biology. The laboratory focuses on small molecules for therapeutics and chemical tools in disease biology, including opioid and pain therapeutics and cancer targets.

You will design, synthesize, characterize, and evaluate small molecules across multidisciplinary programs, working with chemical biology, pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational