Postdoctoral Associate

MIT • Cambridge, MA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Associate will join the Immunomodulatory and Biomimetic Materials research group in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (DMSE, IMES) at MIT. This role is part of a multi-PI interdisciplinary research team focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of peptide libraries. The associate will contribute to the biophysical characterization of aggregating and self-assembling peptides, lead the synthesis, purification, characterization, and quality-control validation of peptide libraries, and design and optimize synthetic strategies for complex peptides, peptide libraries, and small proteins. Additionally, the role involves developing scalable production methods using solid-phase peptide synthesis and native chemical ligation, synthesizing or developing routes to unnatural amino acids and specialized building blocks, and investigating peptide self-assembly, nanostructure formation, and materials properties.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in peptide chemistry, organic chemistry, chemical biology, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in advanced peptide synthesis.
• Excellent quantitative analysis and experimental design skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary and multi-PI team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with assembling peptides
• Amyloid research
• Native chemical ligation
• Materials characterization
• Biophysics

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design, synthesis, and characterization of a diverse peptide library.
• Contribute to the biophysical characterization and study of aggregating and self-assembling peptides.
• Lead the synthesis, purification, characterization, and quality-control validation of a peptide library.
• Design and optimize synthetic strategies for complex peptides, peptide libraries, and small proteins.
• Develop scalable production methods using solid-phase peptide synthesis and native chemical ligation.
• Synthesize or develop routes to unnatural amino acids and other specialized building blocks that are not commercially available.
• Investigate peptide self-assembly, nanostructure formation, and materials properties.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree