Postdoctoral Scientist - Lincoln Lab

Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus is a pioneering research center in Ashburn, Virginia, where scientists pursue fundamental questions in the life sciences. Our integrated teams of biologists, computational scientists, and tool-builders innovate research practices and technologies to solve biology’s deepest mysteries.

HHMI launched Janelia in 2006, establishing an intellectually enriching environment for scientists to do creative, collaborative, hands-on work. We share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific community. About the Role:   We are seeking Postdoctoral Scientists with hybrid expertise spanning fluorescent dye development, spectroscopy, che mical 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, whol e-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 fluorophor es 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 molecu