The Skinider Lab at Princeton University's Ludwig Princeton Branch is seeking a postdoctoral or higher research position to work on a project related to the identification of illicit drugs through computational mass spectrometry. Applications will open in March 2024 and will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.
The successful candidate will develop and apply computational methods to mass spectrometry data with a primary focus on Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML). The candidate will have the opportunity to lead and contribute to a variety of exciting projects, including re-analysis of large clinical datasets to identify novel illicit drugs and working with anti-doping programs to identify novel performance enhancing drugs.
The scope of this research builds on recent publications from the lab, including predicting future illicit drugs with chemical language models (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-021-00407-x) and reanalysis of large clinical datasets for illicit drug identification (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03451). While this work is computationally based, it requires close interaction with experimental and clinical collaborators.
The opportunity will prepare applicants for a variety of competitive positions in academia and industry in fields such as computational biology/chemistry, machine learning for biological data, drug discovery/design, toxicology, forensics, etc. Mentorship is taken seriously and every effort will be made to help applicants achieve their goals in the next stage of their career.
Successful candidates should be highly motivated, independent-minded and have excellent written communication skills. Candidates will have experience in one or more of the following areas through at least one first-author publication: computational biology/bioinformatics, chemoinformatics, analytical chemistry/mass spectrometry/metabolomics, machine learning/computer science, toxicology/forensics.
Appointments are based on rank. Postdoctoral appointments are for one year, renewable based on performance and continued funding. If hired at a higher rank, the appointment may be for a multi-year term.
Applicants should have relevant research experience and hold or be expecting a PhD in computational biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, bioengineering, toxicology, or related fields. To apply online, please visit https://www.princeton.edu/acad-positions/position/33801 and submit your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please list 1-3 publications or preprints that you believe best meet the experience requirements in the fields listed above. Please also include contact information for three references. Qualified candidates who pass the initial screening may be provided with a short programming exercise to assess their skills. Only qualified candidates will be contacted.
This position is subject to Princeton University's background check policy. This position will be located on the Princeton University campus.
