Postdoctoral Research Associate

Job Title

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Agency

Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Department

Horticultural Sciences

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Job Description: Experience in research on ‘foods for health’, Natural products, and secondary metabolites. The person should have a track record of publications, analytical skills, and secondary metabolites. Experience in grant writing and conducting hypothesis-driven research. Communicate effectively with collaborators, industry partners, and stakeholders.

Required Education: Doctoral Degree in related field

Preferred Experience: Experience in research related to ‘foods for health’, Natural products and secondary metabolites.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate lab activities, including scheduling, requisition of supplies, safety, and compliance.
• Maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and analytical instruments.
• Isolate and purify natural compounds using chromatographic techniques (e.g., column chromatography, HPLC, flash chromatography).
• Perform structural characterization of natural products using spectroscopic methods (NMR, MS, IR, UV-Vis).
• Conduct bioassay-guided fractionation to identify bioactive compounds.
• Apply extraction techniques (e.g., Soxhlet, maceration, ultrasonic, supercritical fluid extraction).
• Implement dereplication strategies to identify known compounds efficiently.
• Analyze metabolites in plant and biological samples using LC-MS and GC-MS.
• Conduct research on the biosynthetic pathways of metabolites in fruits and vegetables.
• Investigate the impact of genetic and environmental factors on metabolite production.
• Collaborate with research teams on interdisciplinary projects, including the melon integrated project.
• Conduct field trials and collect samples across Texas as needed.
• Engage in grant writing and produce high-quality publications.
• Train and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, as well as visiting scientists.
• Develop and lead hands-on training sessions and short courses.
• Maintain detailed records, write standard operating procedures, and contribute to safety documentation.
• Communicate effectively with collaborators, industry partners, and stakeholders.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to independently design and conduct experiments.
• Proficiency in analytical instrumentation for metabolite characterization.
• Experience linking bioactives, whole food systems, and microbiota.
• Proven record of peer-reviewed publications and scholarly work.
• Capability to work in a fast-paced environment with firm deadlines.
• Strong teamwork and multitasking abilities.
• Competency in statistical analysis tools (e.g., SAS, R, XLstat, Multivariate analysis).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Willingness to work evening and weekend hours as required.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expertise in interpreting LC-MS, GC-MS, Raman spectroscopy, and NMR data.
• Experience in metabolic profiling and quantification of bioactive compounds in plants.
• Familiarity with computational modeling of structure-function relationships.
• Understanding of sustainable food production and plant-based food trends.
• Experience in assay development for new compounds and ingredients.
• Ability to manage lab inventory, personnel, and research projects.
• Strong background in developing and analyzing research findings for scientific publications and presentations.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.