Job Description
Elizabethtown College Professor of Chemistry, James A. MacKay, invites applicants for a Teaching and Research Postdoctoral Associate to commence work in Summer 2025.

The position, which advances an NSF sponsored collaborative project titled “Nucleobase-Modified PNA for Sequence Selective Triple-Helical Recognition of Non-Coding RNA,” has been developed specifically for those interested in preparing for a career as a research-active faculty member at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). The grant is in collaboration with Professor Eriks Rozners at Binghamton University.

Part of the School of Sciences and Health at Elizabethtown College, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry consists of six full-time faculty members who value collaboration, diversity of backgrounds and ideas, equity, interdisciplinary thinking, and student-focused teaching. Following a teacher-scholar model, faculty members in the department engage undergraduates in meaningful research and scientific advancement. Examples of recent outcomes from this model include the recent successful hire of a previous postdoctoral associate at a PUI, publications in peer-reviewed journals with undergraduate and postdoctoral researcher co-authors, presentations at national and international meetings, three Goldwater Scholarship awards, novel curricular developments, and multiple placements of students into top graduate programs or industrial positions.
Job Duties
The successful applicant will be dedicated to research in the MacKay and Rozners labs on sequence-specific recognition of double-stranded RNA using triplex-forming peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). They will be responsible for design and synthesis of new PNA monomers for incorporation into PNA to modulate the structure and function of complex non-coding regulatory RNAs. Research will involve organic synthesis and heterocyclic chemistry, and the postdoctoral associate will mentor undergraduate student research projects and help with the maintenance of group instrumentation. Further, the experience will be enriched though collaboration with Binghamton University graduate students and postdoctoral research assistants. Expected outcomes include presentation of research at national meetings and publication of results in scientific journals.

The Postdoctoral Associate will be responsible for teaching two or three introductory undergraduate lecture and/or laboratory courses per academic year. They will participate in mentoring activities offered by the College, the PI, and the research collaborator, to support teaching, research, and preparation for a faculty role at a PUI.

Required Qualifications
A Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical biology, or related field is required. ABD candidates will be reviewed with the expectation that a defense date would be set by June 1, 2025, and the position will begin no later than August 1, 2025.

Candidates must bring experience, aptitude, and enthusiasm for research and have a solid record of publication.
Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team and experience mentoring early career research (typically for undergraduates) is also essential.
Candidates must articulate a desire to be a research-active teacher-scholar at a PUI.

Please note, due to this position being grant funded and short length of term, sponsorship will not be available for International applicants.

For full consideration, please provide cover letter, CV, statement of teaching philosophy, research statement and contact information for (3) individuals to provide letters of recommendation on your behalf. Review of applicants will begin on December 1, 2024 and continue until the position is filled.

Preferred Qualifications
The successful applicant should have many of the following desired qualifications and interests: Specific expertise in synthetic chemistry, heterocycle synthesis and/or computational modeling of nucleic acids is highly desirable. As this position is aimed at providing an early-career, developmental experience, the preferred candidate’s Ph.D. should have been earned during the last five years. Additionally, preferred candidates will have a track record of demonstrated success in high-quality teaching of undergraduate students from culturally diverse backgrounds and varying levels of preparedness in general, organic, bioorganic, and/or biophysical chemistry.