Postdoctoral Research Associate

Analyses of Biological Molecules in Fish and Environmental Water

Michigan State University

Job Description

We seek an Analytical/Natural Product chemist to profile and measure biological molecules in fish tissues and environmental water. The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary research team (Laboratory of Dr. Weiming Li) that studies many aspects of lamprey and fish biology at Michigan State University. The selected candidate will measure pheromones, identify their precursors and metabolites, determine their excretion mechanisms and quantify these compounds in the environmental water. The selected chemist will also collaborate with biologists and other researchers to characterize the physiological functions of molecules of interest, and will interact with federal agencies conducting field studies. S/he is expected to work independently, train graduate students and technicians, write proposals and reports to funding agencies, and publish research results in peer review journals. For examples of our previous research, please refer to our laboratory website at https://www.lilabmsu.com/ or Google Scholar for Weiming Li at https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Sob-izAAAAAJ. The salary will be commensurate with experience and training. The duration of this position is two years, with the possibility of extension pending on funding availability. Please e-mail your cover letter, CV, and contact information of three references as attachments to Mr. Jacob Kimmel (kimmelja@msu.edu), with “Application for Chemist Position” in the subject line. Please also apply directly to MSU job posting #619172 at https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/listing/. The application deadline is 1 December 2019. 

Requirements and desired skills

• A Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, Natural Product Chemistry or related fields is required.
• Expertise in LC-MS/MS method development for the determination of small molecules and peptides in biological matrices.
• Previous experience in identification of biological molecules is highly desired.
• Interests and expertise in metabolomics are desired.
• Hands-on experience with metabolite profiling in biological samples is preferred.
• Interest in using chemistry expertise to solve biological problems.
• Experience in maintaining and troubleshooting common laboratory equipment.
• Broad background in analytical chemistry (HPLC-UV; GC-MS; NMR; UPLC-QToF).
• Excellent communication skills with publication record.