Postdoctoral Scientist Lincoln Lab

About the Role:

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 over the course of these projects.

About the Lab:

With a research background grounded in photophysics organic chemistry chemical biology and high-resolution optics our lab uses experimental photochemistry computational modelling and physical chemistry to engineer fluorophores and molecular tools to tackle the challenges at the forefront of fluorescence microscopy. As a part of the initiative at Janelia we strive to challenge the boundaries of fluorophore/probe development for dynamic biological imaging that will revolutionize the imaging projects during the next chapter of Janelias research program. We collaborate closely with other groups in and the larger Janelia community including chemists protein engineers neuroscientists and microscopists to achieve mutual goals. For more information about the Lincoln lab please visit: Lincoln Lab Janelia Research Campus

In addition the HHMI Janelia Research Campus provides a highly collaborative resource-rich environment for our work.

What We Provide:

• A competitive compensation package with comprehensive health and welfare benefits.

• Access to Janelias 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.

• Amenities that enhance work-life balance such as on-site childcare free gyms available on-campus housing social and dining spaces and convenient shuttle bus service to Janelia from the Washington D.C. metro area.

What Youll Do:

• 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 structureproperty relationships between molecular design and performance.

• Collaborate with other members of 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.

What You Bring:

• 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

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

• 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