A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available from August 15 2019 for two years.  The selected candidate will work at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in Year 1, and at Howard University (HU) in Year 2 (if contract is renewed with mutual agreement). This collaborative project is to understand the interactions between nanoparticles and proteins to develop state-of-the-art detection devices of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using both simulations and experiments.

Required qualifications:

• A candidate is expected to have a Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science/Engineering, or a related discipline by the start date.
• The candidate must have good writing and presentation skills in English.
• The successful candidate will have good programming skills in one (or more) of the following:  C/C++, Fortran and Python, as well as data analysis experiences.
• The ability to work well with a team and to train a diverse population of undergraduate students.  
• Though the project is rooted in computation and theoretical development, the candidate is expected to interact with experimentalists who are Co-PIs on the two-campus project.
• The candidate may be required to travel between WSSU and HU in the project duration.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience in at least one of the following areas: electronic structure simulations (DFT and beyond), molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, and force field development.
• Experience in QM/MM and time-dependent DFT or continuum modeling.
• Experience with high-performance computing. 
• Candidates may also be involved in experiments, such as nanoparticle synthesis, SERS experimental design and Raman characterization. Experience in SERS experiments is a plus.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV and 2 letters of reference to [email protected]. The official job announcement will be posted soon at https://jobs.wssu.edu.   Application review begins on March 15, 2019. The position will remain open until filled. Candidates are encouraged to visit http://www.clayborneresearchgroup.com or https://taoweilab.weebly.com for more information on research projects.