Associate Research Scientist

The Antibiotic Discovery Center (ADC) is seeking an experienced Associate Research Scientist to lead and expand efforts in natural product–based antibiotic discovery. The ideal candidate will manage multidisciplinary projects that integrate microbiology, biochemistry, and analytical chemistry to discover and characterize new natural product scaffolds and elucidate their biological activities.

Lead discovery and characterization of novel natural products with antibacterial or other bioactive properties. Direct and oversee bioassay development, screening, and hit validation efforts. Manage compound isolation, purification, and structure elucidation workflows in collaboration with analytical and chemistry teams. Conduct and supervise mechanistic studies to elucidate compound mode of action. Provide scientific leadership and mentorship for junior researchers and technical staff.

Ensure rigorous data management, reproducibility, and compliance with safety standards. Contribute to strategic planning, proposal writing, and publication of research findings.

• Ph.D. in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or related field. Expertise in natural product discovery, purification, or bioassay-guided screening highly preferred. Experience with analytical instrumentation (LC-MS, HPLC, NMR) and biological assay development highly preferred. Strong leadership, communication, and team management skills. Demonstrated ability to integrate multidisciplinary data to drive scientific discovery and innovation.

The Antibiotic Discovery Center (ADC) at Northeastern University is an interdisciplinary research hub dedicated to discovering, characterizing, and developing novel antibiotics and bioactive natural products. The ADC integrates expertise in microbiology, biochemistry, chemical biology, and natural product chemistry to address the urgent global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Researchers at the ADC work collaboratively to identify new compounds from diverse microbial sources, elucidate their mechanisms of action, and advance them toward preclinical development through innovative screening, analytical, and genomic approaches.