Advertising Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in
the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s
sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally
recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth
University is an equal opportunity employer.
Unit: School Of Medicine MBU
Department: Pathology
Department Summary: The mission of the Virginia Commonwealth
University (VCU) Department of Pathology is to provide
high-quality, cost-effective pathology services that support the
patient care, education, and research missions of the VCU Health
System and School of Medicine.
The PI is seeking a highly motivated Post-Doctoral Fellow with
expertise in synthetic chemistry and/or chemical biology. The
laboratory investigates how small molecules can be used both as
therapeutics and as chemical tools to understand and manipulate
disease-relevant biology. Current research spans the discovery and
development of novel therapeutics for substance use disorders and
overdose, the discovery of safer opioid and non-opioid pain
therapeutics, and the exploration of targeted protein degradation
and other mechanism-driven therapeutic strategies in cancer. Across
these areas, the laboratory integrates molecular design and
computational approaches with chemical synthesis, chemical biology,
cellular studies, and pharmacology to translate mechanistic
insights into new therapeutic strategies.
The successful candidate will contribute to the design, synthesis,
characterization, and biological evaluation of small molecules
across multidisciplinary research programs. The Post-Doctoral
Fellow will work closely with researchers in chemical biology,
pharmacology, cellular biology, and computational chemistry to
investigate molecular mechanisms and advance promising
compounds.
This position is well suited for an independent, organized, and
highly motivated scientist with strong synthetic problem-solving
skills and an interest in applying chemistry to biologically and
therapeutically relevant questions. The fellow will also have
opportunities to contribute to scientific manuscripts,
presentations, grant applications, and the mentoring of junior
researchers.
Duties & 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 chemical structure–activity relationships and
experimental data to guide subsequent compound design and
optimization.
Collaborate with researchers in chemical biology, pharmacology,
cellular biology, and computational chemistry to prioritize
experiments and interpret multidisciplinary datasets.
Contribute to the planning, execution, and interpretation of
biochemical, cellular, and pharmacological studies, as appropriate
to the candidate’s experience and project needs.
Maintain accurate and detailed laboratory notebooks,
experimental records, and compound characterization data.
Present research findings at laboratory meetings and scientific
conferences and contribute to the preparation of manuscripts and
grant applications.
Assist with mentoring and training undergraduate and graduate
students and other junior laboratory members.
Contribute to maintaining a safe, organized, collaborative, and
professional laboratory environment.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology,
Chemistry, or a closely related field by the position start
date.
- Demonstrated expertise in organic synthesis, including
synthetic route design, multistep 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.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience applying synthetic chemistry to chemical biology,
pharmacology, drug discovery, or mechanism-focused biomedical
research.
- Experience with biochemical or cellular assays, including
receptor binding, functional assays, protein-based assays, or
related experimental approaches.
- Experience with mammalian cell culture and cell-based
experimental techniques.
- Experience with animal studies, particularly handling and
experimental procedures involving mice.
- Familiarity with GPCR biology, receptor pharmacology, or
small-molecule studies targeting signaling pathways.
- Familiarity with computational chemistry approaches such as
molecular docking, structure-based modeling, or physicochemical
property analysis.
- Understanding of pharmacological, ADME/PK, or related
considerations in the evaluation of biologically active small
molecules.
- Strong record of scientific productivity demonstrated through
peer-reviewed publications, presentations, or other research
accomplishments.
- Experience working effectively within multidisciplinary
research teams.
Salary Range: $63,480
Benefits : All VCU employee types are eligible for a wide
array of benefits to support you during your employment at VCU.
Consult the
benefits website
for information on benefits eligibility according to employee
type.
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
ORP Eligible: Yes
Flexible Work Arrangement: Other
Contact Information:
Contact Email: SOMHR@vcuhealth.org