Postdoctoral Fellow - Wentz Lab

Position Summary

The Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts + Sciences at Indiana University hosts a research community that spans a wide variety of modern disciplines including analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, materials chemistry, and biochemistry. The Wentz Lab is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to develop the synthesis of new main‑group heterocycles, macrocycles, and polymers as functional materials.

Goals are to gain a fundamental understanding of how electronic structure and hierarchical structure influence bulk properties in main‑group materials.

The initial appointment for this position will be for 12 months, with an additional 12‑month extension available based on performance. A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered.

• Manage own academic research project(s).
• Develop new main‑group molecules and polymers and characterize their properties.
• Write up new results for publication in peer‑reviewed journals.
• Maintain excellent record‑keeping through lab notebook documentation of experiments.
• Maintain equipment and instrumentation in the laboratory.
• Assist with setting up new instrumentation and other equipment purchased.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students with their projects and teach how to use new instrumentation.
• Contribute ideas for new research projects.
• Stay informed of new literature related to academic research projects.
• Present new results and systematic literature reviews in weekly group meetings.

• Ph.D. in Chemistry by the start of the appointment.
• Strong publication record in synthetic chemistry and photophysics.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, both oral and written.

• Experience with inert atmosphere manipulation of air‑ and moisture‑sensitive chemicals.
• Proficiency in analytical techniques for characterizing newly synthesized molecules and polymers (NMR, IR, mass spectrometry, single crystal XRD, GPC, UV‑vis, FL, etc.).
• Deep understanding of the chemistry of the main‑group elements.
• Experience with DFT or quantum‑chemical calculations.

Salary: $55,000.

Bloomington, IN.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, a one‑page research plan that reflects the candidate’s research interest relevant to the job ad, and contact information for three references to . Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. The best consideration date is 04/10/2026 and the expected start date is 06/01/2026.

Prof. Wentz, Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800

E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405,
wentzke