Postdoctoral Scholar - Biophysics

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• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Postdoctoral Scholar (Biophysics)

The National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) at The Pennsylvania State University (ncems.psu.edu) seeks an outstanding scientist to fill a Postdoctoral Scholar position in Biophysics housed within the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences at Penn State.

NCEMS is an NSF-funded interdisciplinary research center positioned at the interface of data science, molecular and cellular biology, and quantitative physical sciences. The Center provides leadership in the integration of diverse, publicly available datasets to gain insights into emergent phenomena in molecular and cellular biology.

About the Position

The successful candidate, in collaboration with faculty and research staff at NCEMS, will conduct original biophysics research involving quantitative, computational, theoretical, or data-driven approaches in molecular and cellular biology. Research may involve protein structure and function, molecular interactions, molecular assemblies, intrinsically disordered proteins, biomolecular condensates, cellular organization, biological networks, molecular evolution, or systems-level biophysical phenomena.

The scholar’s independent work may use, extend, or contribute to NCEMS Working Group data products, analytical tools, computational models, and methodological innovations. The scholar will also collaborate with NCEMS Working Groups where their expertise can help advance shared research goals and produce high-impact scientific outputs.

This position is full time, on-site at the Penn State University Park campus. This position does not permit remote work. This is a term appointment funded for one year from the date of hire with an excellent chance for multiple years of renewal based upon mutual agreement.

Requirements

A PhD in Biophysics, Physics, Biological Physics, or Quantitative Biology or a closely related field is required. The successful candidate will have a strong foundation in biophysics, statistical mechanics, molecular modeling, computational modeling, quantitative biology, dynamical systems, stochastic processes, complex systems, or related quantitative approaches. Candidates should have experience developing, implementing, or applying analytical or computational models to molecular and cellular systems. Expertise in Python, R, MATLAB, or related scientific computing tools is desirable. The successful candidate should have a demonstrated ability to conduct research and produce scholarly outputs, as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals. Experience working with biological datasets or biophysical systems is desirable, including protein interaction data, structural data, imaging data, molecular dynamics outputs, omics data, cellular organization data, or biological network data. Candidates must be independent self-starters, have a strong work ethic, strong interpersonal and written communication skills, and the ability to work well in a collaborative team environment.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted electronically in a single PDF and should include:

• A cover letter

• Curriculum vitae (CV)

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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