Postdoctoral Scholar

Oregon Health & Science University • Portland, OR

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Wang and Gibbs Laboratories in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) are recruiting a postdoctoral fellow with substantial synthetic organic chemistry experience to develop fluorophores and molecular probes for precision surgery, early disease detection, and quantitative molecular imaging. Research includes near-infrared (NIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) probes for fluorescence-guided surgery; mutation-selective NIR small-molecule probes for imaging oncogenic proteins; NIR fluorophores for noninvasive retinal imaging of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers; and fluorophores, linker chemistry, bioconjugation strategies, and bioorthogonal reactions for quantitative imaging.

The position involves designing, synthesizing, purifying, and characterizing fluorophores and molecular probes; studying structure-property and structure-activity relationships; and collaborating with biologists, engineers, and clinicians to evaluate probes through in vitro and in vivo studies. The scholar will analyze experimental results to guide probe optimization, participate in research meetings, contribute to manuscripts and funding applications, present findings, and provide scientific guidance and mentorship to trainees as appropriate.

The position is located in the RLSB on OHSU’s south waterfront campus. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional evening and weekend work needed to meet project deadlines. Alternate working conditions or hours may be possible by advance discussion and explicit approval by Drs. Summer Gibbs and/or Lei Wang. Applicants should submit a cover letter describing their research experience and interests, a CV, and contact information for references.

Requirements

• PhD in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or a closely related field, with substantial training in synthetic organic chemistry.
• Strong experience in synthetic organic chemistry, including multistep small-molecule synthesis, purification, and characterization.
• Ability to independently design, execute, and troubleshoot multistep synthetic routes.
• Skill in purification, characterization, and interpretation of experimental data, with careful attention to documentation and reproducibility.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary research team.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with fluorophore or dye chemistry, bioconjugation, bioorthogonal chemistry, structure-property studies, or molecular imaging.
• Training or dissertation research focused on fluorophore chemistry or medicinal chemistry.

Responsibilities

• Design, synthesize, purify, and characterize novel fluorophores and molecular probes for fluorescence-guided surgery, molecular disease detection, and quantitative imaging.
• Conduct structure-property and structure-activity studies to optimize optical properties, targeting, stability, and biological performance.
• Collaborate with biologists, engineers, and clinicians to evaluate promising probes through in vitro and in vivo studies.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data and use findings to guide molecular design and optimization.
• Participate in laboratory and project meetings and contribute to manuscripts, figures, data analysis, and research funding applications as appropriate.
• Present research findings at local, national, and international scientific meetings and contribute to publications and other scholarly activities.
• Provide scientific guidance and mentorship to graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and other trainees working on related projects, as appropriate.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Healthcare coverage for full-time employees is 100%, with 88% coverage for dependents.
• $50,000 of term life insurance provided at no cost to the employee.
• Two above-market pension plans to choose from.
• 208 hours of paid time off per year, prorated for part-time employees.
• 64 hours per year in an extended illness bank, prorated for part-time employees.
• Nine paid holidays per year.
• Substantial Tri-Met and C-Tran discounts.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Childcare service discounts.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Employee discounts to local and major businesses.

What This Job Offers

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