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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.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.