Postdoctoral Research Fellow--Organometallic Catalysis and Machine Learning

Job Description

New hires working in our US & Puerto Rico locations will be required to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or qualify for a medical or religious exemption or accommodation to this vaccination requirement, subject to applicable law.

Be a part of the legacy: Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program

Our Research Laboratories’ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program aims to be a best-in-industry program for industrial postdoctoral researchers, designed to provide you with an academic focus in a commercial environment. With the resources, reach, and expertise of a large pharmaceutical company, postdoctoral researchers will be positioned to excel in an institution committed to breakthrough innovation in research and discovery.

Position Overview:

This is a unique opportunity to apply the tools of synthetic organic chemistry and machine learning to problems in organometallic catalysis under the supervision of Dr. Eugene Kwan (our company) and Professor Stephen Buchwald (MIT). The successful candidate will develop a general tool for profiling the mechanistic behavior of reaction classes using high-throughput experimentation (HTE) and machine learning. Specific patterns would then be interrogated using more traditional tools (kinetics, substituent effects, kinetic isotope effects, DFT calculations, etc.) to gain new mechanistic insights, engineer better reaction conditions, or extend the substrate scope.

The project will focus specifically on copper-catalyzed hydroamination reactions. Day-to-day research will focus on organic synthesis and mechanistic studies. The successful candidate will need to prepare catalysts and substrates, screen reactions, and perform mechanistic analyses of HTE data. Prior experience in physical-organic chemistry, computational methods, and machine learning is not required, as Dr. Kwan will provide extensive mentoring and training in these areas during the fellowship. However, it is expected that the candidate will be broadly interested in applying these tools to problems in organic chemistry.

The successful candidate will have regular contact and mentorship with Dr. Kwan and Professor Buchwald and have the opportunity for frequent scientific exchanges with their respective teams both in-person and through our telepresence platforms. The position will be primarily lab-based at our Boston site, with the possibility of some hybrid work arrangements when data analysis is required. Some limited travel to our other sites (e.g., Rahway, NJ) may be needed occasionally to access specialized instrumentation.

Candidates may be eligible for visa sponsorship or relocation benefits. Postdoctoral fellows are considered full-time employees, receive competitive salaries, and are eligible for health care, vacation time, holidays, and other benefits. The successful candidate will begin no later than September 30, 2022 and conduct research over a three-year term, subject to satisfactory performance and annual research reviews.

Candidates should display a high level of innovation, creativity, and initiative and have good interpersonal and collaboration skills. Postdoctoral fellows in the Small Molecule Process Research and Development organization function as fully-integrated members of their respective teams and participate in regular departmental- and team-level meetings. In addition to the discovery and development of synthetic routes to potential drug candidates, our department is engaged in bio- and chemocatalysis screening and development, laboratory automation, preparative-scale chromatography, and analytical research. Overall, postdoctoral fellows are exposed to broad perspectives on the drug development process in the pharmaceutical industry.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with other our company's colleagues, including experts in analytical chemistry, separation science, organic synthesis, computational chemistry, and machine learning.
• Be a primary contributor to one or more peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.
• Present interim progress in both internal meetings (in particular, at regular meetings with Dr. Kwan and Professor Buchwald) and external conferences.
• Design and execution of a project at the interface of organometallic catalysis, mechanistic analysis, and machine learning.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Hold a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (or related field) or expect to receive one by September 30, 2022.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in experimental organic synthesis, including the synthesis, purification, and characterization of small organic molecules from the milligram to gram scale.
• Expertise in the field of catalysis in organic chemistry is necessary.
• A strong interest in the techniques of physical-organic chemistry (particularly kinetics, KIEs, and DFT calculations) and machine learning.

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we “follow the science” and that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. And we believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe.

MRLpostdoc

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

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Requisition ID:R154719