Advertising Summary: The Department of Medicinal Chemistry is seeking one postdoctoral fellow to work in the laboratory of Professor Yan Zhang, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University. We are seeking a highly motivated synthetic organic chemist, medicinal chemist, or computational chemist to join our drug design, discovery, and development program. Dr. Zhang’s lab is conducting highly interdisciplinary research focused on pre-clinical development of novel drug candidates, where we apply chemical synthesis, medicinal chemistry, biochemical and biophysical assays, and computational chemistry interactively. The successful candidate will be involved in design, synthesis, and characterization of small molecule targeting various disease treatments development.

Unit: School Of Pharmacy MBU

Department: Medicinal Chemistry (Pharmacy)

About Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU is a top 50 public research university with a genuine commitment to student success and community service. One of just a handful of universities to receive both a "Very High Research Activity" status and a "Community Engaged" designation from the Carnegie Foundation, VCU also hosts the region's top-rated medical center. The medical campus is home to top-ranked programs in Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, and Health Professions, as well as the Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Pauley Heart Center, the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, among many other institutes and centers.

About School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy (SOP) has a 127-year tradition beginning with the Medical College of Virginia and continuing to the present. Ranked in the Top 20 of Schools of Pharmacy nationwide, the SOP is dedicated to graduating outstanding future scientists and pharmacists who will develop new medicines and therapies, improve human health, foster exemplary research, and provide sustaining contributions to interprofessional patient care.

Some postdoctoral scholars are eligible for a generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life-insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid-time off and more. Postdoctoral scholars should clarify with their mentor if their appointment is as a postdoctoral scholar-trainee on a training grant, or a postdoctoral scholar-fellow who is an employee on a research grant. Please note: Benefits associated with postdoctoral appointments terminate when the appointment ends. Explore our benefits further.

Department Summary: Medicinal chemistry, a multidisciplinary field integrating chemistry and the life sciences, applies chemical principles to study biologically active substances such as therapeutically useful drugs, natural products, toxins and drugs of abuse. Our department offers advanced training in drug design and discovery, emphasizing areas such as cardiovascular drugs, central nervous system agents, antimicrobial targets, natural product biosynthesis, anti-cancer agents and biomolecule structure elucidation. With state-of-the-art molecular modeling facilities, synthetic organic chemistry laboratories, X-ray crystallographic equipment and high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, our research is supported by cutting-edge technologies and collaborations with the Center for Drug Discovery.

Duties & Responsibilities: The candidate will be working on design, synthesis, and biological characterization of novel chemical entities as drug candidates in treating various types of diseases, including substance use disorders, cancer, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell disease, and metabolic disorders.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD degree in synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, or related areas, or an combination of education and equivalent professional training.
• Experience in designing synthetic routes for novel organic compounds, solving challenging synthetic problems, and SAR analysis is required.
• Ability to apply NMR, IR, HPLC, and MS methods to solve organic chemistry inquiries.
• Experience in computational chemistry, molecular modeling, and structure-based molecular design.
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills and experience; and ability to work independently.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent track of record of publication in the related research areas.
• Grant application experience, and a strong publication record demonstrating primary responsibility for drafting manuscripts.

Salary Range: $48,000

Benefits: All VCU employee types are eligible for a wide array of benefits to support you during your employment at VCU. Consult the benefits website for information on benefits eligibility according to employee type.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Dr. Yan Zhang
Contact Email: yzhang2@vcu.edu