Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Design, Discovery & Development Program, Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry

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