Research Scientist, Natural Products & Organic Synthesis, NCNPR

About the role

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Research Scientist in Chemistry to drive advanced research focused on the total synthesis of natural products, providing them as reference standards, elucidating the absolute stereochemistry of unresolved natural products, and performing structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies to improve the agrochemical or pharmacological aspects of natural products and their derivatives.

Responsibilities

• Total Synthesis & Reference Standards: Execute complex synthetic routes and total syntheses to access structurally diverse natural products, serving as reference standards or enabling downstream biological evaluations.
• Stereochemical Elucidation: Apply advanced spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques with specialized expertise in 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy to determine and resolve the absolute stereochemistry of complex natural products.
• Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) Studies: Design, synthesize, and evaluate chemical derivatives of natural products to optimize and improve their agrochemical or therapeutic profiles.
• Scientific Communication: Author peer-reviewed scientific publications, contribute to patent applications, and collaborate across disciplines to advance drug discovery and agrochemical development.

Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience: Extensive research expertise in isolating, characterizing, and synthesizing natural and synthetic compounds, including post-doctoral experience.

Technical Skills

• Designing and executing multi-step total syntheses and handling air- and moisture-sensitive reagents.
• Advanced chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, including GC-MS, LC-MS, and 1D/2D NMR data interpretation.
• Modern purification methods such as Biotage flash chromatography and column chromatography.

Software Proficiency

• ChemDraw
• SciFinder
• Reaxys