Postdoctoral fellow - Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry

Last application date Nov 01, 2021 00:00

Department WE07 - Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry

Contract Limited duration

Degree PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Occupancy rate 100%

Vacancy type Research staff

Two fully funded postdoctoral positions (up to 24 months each, potentially renewable) are available on projects that aim to investigate the influence of fluorination on molecular properties.
The first project is centred around the amino acid proline, in which fluorination will be exploited to induce novel conformational properties, to be investigated at the amino acid, peptide, and protein level.
The second project is centred around carbohydrates, in which fluorination will be exploited to investigate a number of important properties relevant to protein-carbohydrate binding, and to bringing carbohydrates into druglike “space”.
The work will involve innovative organic and organofluorine synthesis, as well as conformational analysis using NMR methodologies. There are collaborations with an NMR group specialising in peptide NMR, with chemical biologists for the incorporation of the modified prolines into proteins to investigate the resulting properties, and with physical chemists for the measurement of certain physical properties.
The ideal candidates for these exciting interdisciplinary endeavours are experienced synthetic organic chemists who love conformational and configurational analysis (and the use of NMR for that purpose), and who have an interest in learning about how their synthesised derivatives will be used in chemical biology applications.
The salary scale will depend on the number of years of experience you have. The University of Ghent has an attractive benefits package, and there are also many career development opportunities.

The closing date is 01 November 2021, the position potentially starting from 1 December onwards, but no later then January 15th 2022.

Essential

• PhD in synthetic organic chemistry
• Experience in purification of organic compounds including by chromatographic techniques
• Be experienced in performing and interpreting analytical/spectroscopic methods for the characterisation of organic compounds
• A record of success in previous research, as judged by publications in high-quality journals
• Well-developed laboratory and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
• Ability to work independently on a chemical research project,
• Expertise in chemical database searching (Reaxys, SciFinder)
• Good written and verbal communication skills in English
• Full appreciation of chemical safety procedures

Of added value

• Experience with the synthesis of chiral aliphatic compounds
• Experience in organofluorine chemistry
• Experience in peptide synthesis (even if you prefer the carbohydrate project)
• Experience in carbohydrate chemistry (even if you prefer the peptide project)
• Experience with HPLC analysis and purification
• Experience in writing manuscripts for publication

Applications should be sent to Prof. dr. Bruno Linclau (email: [email protected] ), with in the subject line “application in response to advert ODY1021/1”, with the following three PDF attachments:
1) a curriculum vitae with contact details for 2-3 professional referees (and include your relation to each referee). For each of your publications, include a one-sentence statement explaining your contributions.
2) a short cover letter that includes a short statement of your research interests, and an indication why you are interested in the field of research described above (you are welcome to indicate a preference for a project).
3) A succinct statement of your suitability for this position based on the essential and on the added-value selection criteria, as mentioned in the job profile section.

For specific questions about the position, please contact Prof. dr. Bruno Linclau (email: [email protected] ).