Research Professional - Analytical Chemistry and Nanomaterial Synthesis

Position: Research Professional 1 - Analytical Chemistry and Nanomaterial Synthesis
About the Job

This is a one-year full-time temporary posted position. It is possible this position might be extended for a second year depending on satisfactory performance, the availability of funds and/or work for the position and meeting standard University employment requirements.

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Join a diverse research team enabling long-term organ preservation:

Transplantation and regenerative medicine are rapidly developing areas of research that offer great potential for improving human health; but they face a critical bottleneck: donor organs and engineered tissues have limited windows for viable use. The ability to cryopreserve organs and tissues and provide them "on-demand" would fundamentally change medicine and save countless lives.

Our highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary team is working to demonstrate the first successful case of long-term organ cryopreservation at the clinical scale. Following our breakthrough publications on rewarming viable rat organs (Han et al. Nature Communications, 2023) and enabling curative treatment for diabetes through cryopreserving islets (Zhan et al. Nature Medicine, 2022), we are scaling these approaches to clinical translation. Backed by several NIH grants and the NSF Engineering Research Center (ATP-Bio), this position puts you at the absolute cutting edge of research that will impact patients' lives.

The role, mentorship, and developmental opportunities:

We are seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented BS chemist (or related field) ready to put in the effort required to drive breakthrough science. This is a hands-on lab-based position. You will provide critical technical support for developing next-generation nanoparticles and cryoprotective agent (CPA) solutions.

This role bridges the gap between a BS degree and applied research experience, enabling pathways to graduate school, medical school, or industry. Beyond the technical skills, you will gain an invaluable professional network through the NSF ERC ATP-Bio, direct mentorship from senior postdocs along with lab PIs, and a standout resume characterized by real-world, life-saving scientific contributions.

Key contributions will include:

* Nanoparticle Synthesis & Functionalization:
Coat, functionalize, purify, and characterize magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles used for the uniform radio frequency rewarming of cryopreserved biomaterials. Evaluate nanoparticle stability in complex mixtures.

* Solution and Polymer Chemistry:
Formulate, test, and optimize complex cold-storage and cryoprotective agent (CPA) solutions used to protect cellular structures during freezing.

* Analytical Characterization:
Gain hands-on mastery of a wide range of organic, inorganic, and analytical chemistry techniques to evaluate nanoparticle stability and solution properties.

* Research Operations:
Document and maintain rigorous experimental protocols, manage data acquisition, and collaborate daily with a diverse technical team of engineers, surgeons, and biologists.

General responsibilities will include executing existing protocols under close mentorship, but high-performing candidates will have the opportunity to pursue independent projects and earn co-authorship on high-impact peer-reviewed publications.

See Grants: NIH R01DK
117425, NIH R01DK
132211, NIH R01DK
131209, NSF EEC-1941543

Duties/responsibilities

25% - Prepares and characterizes complex solutions utilizing standard analytical techniques (aqueous w/ amphiphilic organics), based on existing SOPs and instruction of senior lab personnel

25% - Performs coating, purification, and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles, based on existing SOPs and instruction of senior lab personnel

20% - Supports other characterization studies, as needed

10% - Documents SOPs, data summaries, and reporting

10% - Supports general lab maintenance (cleaning, ordering, waste removal, forms/organization).

10% - Attends meetings

In-person work environment

Location:

University of Minnesota, East Bank campus

Schedule:

* Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

* 40 hours per week

Qualifications

Required qualifications

* BA/BS degree in Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceuticals, or related field or a combination of education and relevant work experience to equal at least four years.

* Experience working in a university or industrial wet lab

* Strong communication skills

* Competence with Microsoft Office Suite

* Desire to work as a member of a highly collaborative team

Preferred qualifications

* Synthesis, purification, and characterization of nanoparticles and/or polymers

* Organic synthesis, and/or small molecule synthesis (distillation, biphasic separations, column chromatography, recrystallization, filtration)

* Organic and analytical chemistry characterization techniques. Including: pH balancing, osmometry, lyophilization, TEM, UVvis, FTIR, NMR (and solid state), HPLC, DLS/Zeta, TGA

* Experience working with biological systems (cell or tissue culture), microscopy, and/or biological assays

* Data processing and…