Postdoctoral Associate in Materials Science

Founded in 1856, University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship institution. Our 1,250-acre College Park campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students abound and are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in our community, the state of Maryland, and in the world.

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify you from employment.

A Post-doctoral position is available at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in Gaithersburg, MD in conjunction with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland to develop autonomous measurement approaches for ROADMAP, a new collaborative, multi-year project leveraging NIST’s next-generation neutron instrumentation to map the interactions between peptides and lipid membranes (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/roadmap-reflectometry-driven-optimization-and-discovery-membrane-active-peptides). The ultimate goal is to enable rapid discovery and optimization of peptides with desired membrane-targeting properties and application to antimicrobial therapeutics, drug delivery, and novel vaccine formulations.

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated candidate (biophysics, chemistry, physics, engineering, etc.) with a strong focus in surface characterization or autonomous experimentation, interested in developing high-throughput measurement approaches to support autonomous measurements that efficiently explore the lipid/membrane interaction space. The successful candidate will closely collaborate with a multidisciplinary team in biology and data science sharing computational resources and domain expertise throughout the effort. The successful candidate will deepen or acquire expertise in peptide/membrane interactions, liquid flow cell design, neutron or X-ray scattering, high-throughput measurement and measurement automation, benchtop characterization techniques (e.g. SPR, QCM-D, FTIR), and Bayesian data analysis. Experience in neutron scattering is not required. The position is available immediately, but the starting date can be negotiated.

Minimum Qualifications:

A minimum of a Ph.D. degree in biophysics, chemistry, physics, engineering, or related field or equivalent is required.

This position is a supported by a cooperative agreement between the University of Maryland and NIST. The successful applicant will be a University of Maryland employee stationed at the NIST Center for Neutron Research.

Applicants should upload 1) cover letter, 2) CV and 3) the name and contact information of 3 professional references. Questions about the position can be addressed to:

Dr. David Hoogerheide
david.hoogerheide@nist.gov
https://www.nist.gov/people/david-p-hoogerheide

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.