Postdoctoral Research Associate

CHARMM is a versatile program for atomic-level simulation of many-particle systems, particularly macromolecules of biological interest.

- M. Karplus

University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

I am hiring a postdoctoral researcher to do fundamental theoretical and computational work towards understanding and designing secondary structure in general non-peptidic oligomers. I think this is an exciting project (it's probably the new direction I'm most interested in in my group!) with lots of potential directions that someone could take in independent research projects afterwards. I am open to people who might be graduating/finishing later this fall.

Job description follows.

The research group of Michael Shirts in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder is hiring a research associate to help develop guidelines, based on fundamental physical principles, by which short nonbiological heteropolymers with sequence specificity can fold into secondary structure elements. The candidate will also study what governs the relative stability between these allowed secondary structural elements.

Initial studies will pave the way for more extensive and realistic modeling of the proposed heteropolymers, working with our experimental collaborators. The research effort is intended to build towards tools for designing human-engineered foldameric materials with a much larger range of properties and functions than occur in naturally occurring biological heteropolymers such as proteins. This position requires a Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, physics or a related field, and exceptionally strong skills in statistical mechanics and molecular simulation.

Other potential (but not required) qualifications of interest include Python expertise and experience with protein design algorithms. Competitive candidates will have a track record of scientific success in graduate study, creative and innovative thinking, experience working on teams, excellent writing skills, and a strong publication record.

Please apply directly on the CU Boulder Jobs web page. The job number is #13828 at  The direct link is:

Note:

the CU application requires a letter of recommendation, but that does not need to be uploaded initially; that can be uploaded as a confidential letter of recommendation later in the process by me.