Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Surfactant and Colloid

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
- Surfactant and Colloid Job Alerts Link Job Description

Established in 1806 as a small soap and candle business in New York City, Colgate-Palmolive is now a truly global company with products sold in over 200 countries and territories under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, Haci Sakir, Suavitel, PCA SKIN, EltaMD, Filorga and Hello as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet.

Colgate-Palmolive is a leading consumer products company that serves hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide with brands and products across four core businesses
- Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. We are committed to offering products that make lives healthier and more enjoyable, and programs that enrich communities around the world.

Every day millions of people trust our products to care for themselves and the ones they love. Our goal is to use our technology to create products that will continue to improve the quality of life for our consumers wherever they live.

A career at Colgate-Palmolive is an excellent opportunity if you seek a global experience, constant challenge, and development opportunities in an environment that respects work/life effectiveness.

Information at a Glance

Job Title:

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
- Surfactant and Colloid

Travel Required:

No Travel Posting

Start Date:

10/16/26 On-site. No Relocation Assistance Offered. Job Number#176591 Piscataway, New Jersey, United States.

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values
- Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous, we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.

Colgate-Palmolive invites applications from early-career PhD scientists for a Postdoctoral Research Scientist (PDRS) position for a fixed two year term at our Global Technology Center in Piscataway, NJ. This role investigates the fundamental colloid science, surfactant self-assembly, and interfacial phenomena governing next-generation dentifrice formulations. The researcher will lead core scientific investigations into substituting conventional alkyl sulfates with bio-based, mild surfactant platforms, focusing on taurates (such as sodium methyl cocoyl taurate) and acyl amino acid surfactants (glycinates, sarcosinates, and glutamates).

Primary responsibilities include mapping multi-component phase spaces, thermodynamic interactions, and transport kinetics among these surfactants, therapeutic active agents (stannous, zinc, basic amino acids, and bioavailable fluoride systems), complex flavor oil emulsions, and mineral abrasive dispersions.

• Experimental Colloid Science & Phase Behavior:
  Design and execute experimental protocols to characterize the phase behavior, micro-emulsion structures, and self-assembly of taurate and amino acid-based surfactant systems for oral care applications.
• Active and Particulate Interaction Mapping:
  Investigate the thermodynamic, electrostatic, and chemical interactions occurring between taurate/amino acid surfactants and critical dentifrice components, including polyvalent therapeutic cations (Sn2+, Zn2+), basic amino acids, fluoride sources, and inorganic abrasives (hydrated silica, calcium carbonate, calcium pyrophosphate).
• Flavor Release Dynamics and Delivery Science:
  Build kinetic and thermodynamic models using the Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Deviation (HLD) framework to characterize flavor oil solubilization, micro-emulsion phase boundaries, and dynamic headspace partitioning under simulated oral dilution conditions.
• Digital Formulation & Predictive Methodology:
  Advance corporate digitization and modeling initiatives by integrating experimental rheological, tensiometric, and phase data into predictive machine-learning and computational thermodynamic models to compress formulation design timelines.
• Cross-Functional Scientific
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Translate fundamental academic discoveries into actionable product…