Postdoctoral Fellow — Chemical Biology & Therapeutics Design

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 57,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond is seeking a Post-Doctoral Fellow with expertise in synthetic chemistry and chemical biology. The lab explores small molecules as therapeutics and tools to study disease biology, including substance use disorders and pain therapeutics, across multidisciplinary teams.

The successful candidate will design, synthesize, and evaluate small molecules, collaborate with chem biology, pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational

Qualifications

• Ph.D. required in relevant field by start date.
• Experience with organic synthesis, multistep routes, purification, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with compound characterization using NMR, LC/MS, HPLC.
• Ability to independently plan, execute, analyze, and communicate experiments.
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous records.
• Excellent written and oral communication; ability to work with diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Design novel small molecules and develop synthetic routes.
• Synthesize, purify, and characterize target compounds and troubleshoot reactions.
• Characterize compounds with NMR, LC/MS/HRMS, HPLC, IR.
• Analyze structure–activity relationships to guide design and optimization.
• Collaborate with chemistry biology, pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational teams.
• Contribute to planning and interpretation of biochemical, cellular, and pharmacological studies.
• Maintain lab notebooks and data records.
• Present findings and contribute to manuscripts and grant applications.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students.
• Maintain a safe, organized laboratory environment.

Skills

Organic synthesis expertise

Compound characterization

Independent project planning

Written and verbal communication

Collaborative and mentoring

Education

Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Chemistry, or related field

Job description

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond is seeking a Post-Doctoral Fellow with expertise in synthetic chemistry and chemical biology. The lab explores small molecules as therapeutics and tools to study disease biology, including substance use disorders and pain therapeutics, across multidisciplinary teams.

The successful candidate will design, synthesize, and evaluate small molecules, collaborate with chem biology, pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational