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 required 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 Tools@HHMI 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 Janelia’s research program. We collaborate closely with other groups in Tools@HHMI 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 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. 

• 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 You'll 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 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. 

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