Job Opportunities
Current Openings
Postdoctoral Researcher in Chemistry or Radiochemistry
The van Dam laboratory in the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging at the University of California, Los Angeles is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated postdoc to join our multidisciplinary research program, which focuses on the development of innovative microscale chemical synthesis platforms for preparing radiolabeled compounds for medical imaging and therapy. Radiochemistry based on droplet-scale reactions offers numerous key advantages over conventional macroscale radiochemistry techniques, and performing arrays of droplet reactions in parallel enables vastly increased throughput for synthesis optimization studies and evaluating new labeling approaches.
The candidate will work with our new high-throughput radiochemistry platform to help develop novel radiopharmaceuticals, and to develop droplet-based synthesis approaches for known clinically-relevant tracers.
Requirements:
Ph.D in chemistry or chemical engineering
Experience with using and method development for analytical instruments (HPLC, TLC, LC-MS, NMR, etc.)
Prior experience in radiochemistry with F-18 and/or radiometals (production or synthesis development) is highly advantageous, but is not required, and can be introduced to the candidate through hands-on experience
Must be very detail-oriented, systematic
Excellent critical thinking, experiment planning, and communication (oral and written) skills
To apply:
Applications can be submitted at: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09109
Please send your CV, brief statement summarizing your relevant experience, and 3 references to Prof. Michael van Dam
Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics or Engineering
The van Dam laboratory in the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging at the University of California, Los Angeles is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated postdoc to join our multidisciplinary research program, which focuses on the development of innovative microscale chemical synthesis platforms for preparing radiolabeled compounds for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Radiochemistry based on droplet-scale reactions offers numerous key advantages over conventional macroscale radiochemistry techniques.
The candidate will work on a novel high-throughput radiochemistry platform that we are developing, that uses robotics in combination with arrays of parallel droplet reactions to accelerate radiosynthesis optimization and radiopharmaceutical screening.
Requirements:
Ph.D in physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or chemical engineering
Comfortable with mechanical system design, CAD (e.g. SolidWorks), electronics, microcontrollers, system integration, and computer programming
Prior experience in radiochemistry, microfluidics, optics, radiation detection or analytical chemistry techniques (e.g. HPLC, TLC) would be especially advantageous, but is not required, and can be introduced to the candidate through hands-on experience
Detail-oriented, systematic
Excellent critical thinking, experiment planning, and communication (oral and written) skills
To apply:
Please send your CV, brief statement summarizing your relevant experience, and 3 references to Prof. Michael van Dam
General Information
We are always seeking highly motivated, organized, and independent individuals with excellent critical-thinking and research-planning skills who are passionate about research and making a difference in medical imaging. We occasionally have openings at the graduate student, postdoc, and staff research associate levels. Candidates should have a solid background in physics, engineering (e.g. mechanical, electrical, systems, biomedical, or chemical), microfluidics, biotechnology, or chemistry (analytical chemistry, radiochemistry, or organic synthesis).
Projects are quite multi-disciplinary in nature and we collaborate with several other groups in the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging at UCLA as well as groups at other institutions. Our goal is to make a difference in medical research and medical care through the development of technologies to overcome current bottlenecks, and we strive to commercialize promising developments in the lab.
Please contact Prof. Michael van Dam for further details about open positions. Be sure to include a copy of your CV with publications and also please include a cover letter to describe your particular research interests and goals as they relate to our lab mission, and highlight relevant training and experience. Please keep in mind we continually hear from quite a few applicants; you may want to have a look at this recent LinkedIn blog post, which provides some excellent advice when applying.
Prospective graduate students will need to apply for admission to UCLA in one of the following programs:
Generally, graduate student positions are offered only after completion of a rotation in our laboratory.
Undergraduate students with relevant background (e.g. physics, engineering, chemistry, or computer science) are welcome to apply for volunteer and work study positions to gain research experience.