Postdoctoral Scientist - Lincoln Lab

Howard Hughes Medical Institute • Ashburn, VA

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking Postdoctoral Scientists with hybrid expertise spanning fluorescent dye development, spectroscopy, chemical biology, and super-resolution microscopy to join the Lincoln Lab. In this role you will help design and characterize the next generation of fluorophores to tackle multimodal, whole-organism, and/or super-resolution imaging challenges. Candidates with an excellent record of research achievement and experience in air and/or light sensitive chemical synthesis methods, photochemistry, spectroscopy, or in vitro/in vivo fluorescence imaging are particularly encouraged to apply. Exposure and training in additional techniques, including single molecule imaging, immunofluorescence, super-resolution techniques, as well as cryo-electron tomography and related disciplines, may be required over the course of these projects.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in chemistry, physics, or related fields in the physical or life sciences.
• A hybrid background in photochemistry and/or chemical biology with a strong grounding in organic chemistry
• Hands-on experience performing organic synthesis of fluorophores and light-sensitive substances
• Experience working with computational chemistry software packages including Gaussian and Orca
• Passion and perseverance to carry out high impact discovery science
• Willingness to work collaboratively in a small lab atmosphere
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare technical reports and contribute to publications

Nice To Haves

• Additional skills in fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy, assay development, molecular docking, or fluorescence microscopy is an asset

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize multistep synthetic routes for new small molecule fluorophores and bioactive ligands for multimodal microscopy applications.
• Apply drug-discovery models, molecular docking simulations, and quantum mechanical calculations to guide molecular design and optimize target engagement, bioavailability, and imaging performance.
• Develop high throughput spectroscopic assays, and single molecule methods to evaluate key properties, including spectral profiles, photostability, and bioavailability.
• Evaluate dye performance in live and fixed-cell imaging, including widefield, confocal and super-resolution methods.
• Establish structure–property relationships between molecular design and performance.
• Collaborate with other members of Tools@HHMI and the broader Janelia community to apply best-performing labels to whole-organism imaging challenges.
• Pursue creative research ideas that leverage your previous experience and align with your current and future scientific interests.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health and welfare benefits
• Access to Janelia’s facilities and engineering support for custom-hardware, scientific computing, and fluorescence microscopy.
• A highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research campus with close ties to labs working across chemistry, protein design, microscopy development, and neuroscience.
• One-on-one mentorship.
• Support to attend and present at scientific conferences.
• On-site childcare
• Free gyms
• Available on-campus housing
• Social and dining spaces
• Convenient shuttle bus service to Janelia from the Washington D.C. metro area.
• Competitive pay
• Exceptional health benefits
• Retirement plans
• Time off
• A range of recognition and wellness programs

What This Job Offers

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