Postdoctoral Research Scholar 0-5 yrs Experience

San Diego State University Research Foundation • San Diego, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

We seek a highly skilled and motivated postdoctoral researcher to contribute to ongoing projects in organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry, and asymmetric homogeneous catalysis. The successful candidate is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy in the laboratory while working within well-defined research directions. Under supervision of an SDSU Faculty member, this position is intended to provided mentored advanced training to enhance professional skills and research independence in the Post Doc's academic discipline. Examples of Post Doc responsibilities include: assisting in data collection, management, analysis and dissemination; conducting highly specialized and advanced experiments; designing research protocols; summarizing research findings; mentoring undergraduate/graduate students; preparing manuscripts, attending conferences and presenting at conferences; Work may be performed in the field or in a laboratory setting.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree or equivalent in an appropriate field
• Strong hands-on experience in transition metal complex synthesis and air-sensitive techniques (required).
• Demonstrated proficiency in analytical techniques including GC/MS and HPLC.
• Ability to work independently with strong attention to detail and reproducibility.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry, or a closely related field.
• Background in catalysis and synthetic methodology development.
• Experience in carbene chemistry and ligand design
• Experience in transition metal catalysis involving carbenes.
• Experience in asymmetric catalysis.
• Familiarity with DFT or computational chemistry.

Responsibilities

• Execute research projects in transition metal catalysis, including the synthesis of carbene ligands (chiral and achiral), preparation of corresponding metal complexes, and their catalytic evaluation.
• Perform air- and moisture-sensitive manipulations using Schlenk line and glovebox techniques (required).
• Synthesize, isolate, and characterize transition metal complexes using standard analytical methods (multinuclear NMR, IR, UV-VIS, MS, GC/MS, HPLC, and X-RAY crystallography).
• Develop and optimize catalytic systems with attention to reactivity, selectivity, and reproducibility.
• Maintain accurate, detailed, and reproducible experimental records.
• Analyze experimental data and contribute to understanding structure–reactivity relationships.
• Participate in mechanistic studies (e.g., kinetic analysis, reactivity profiling).
• Contribute to or collaborate on computational (DFT) studies to support experimental findings.
• Contribute to the preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Present results group meetings and, when appropriate, at conferences.
• Assist in the preparation of reports and selected sections of research proposals.
• Assist in training and mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers.
• Contribute to maintaining a safe, organized, and efficient laboratory environment.
• Ensure compliance with safety procedures, particularly for air-sensitive and reactive systems.
• Participate in the maintenance of laboratory infrastructure (Schlenk lines, gloveboxes, instrumentation).

What This Job Offers

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