Postdoctoral Researcher in Chemical Biology, Cell Biology, and Drug Discovery

The Kitamura Lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine is seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher to join an interdisciplinary research program at the interface of chemical biology, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and drug discovery.

The successful candidate will develop and evaluate chemical probes and drug candidates to investigate disease-relevant biological mechanisms, target engagement, and cellular responses. This position is particularly well suited for applicants with strong training in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or chemical biology who are interested in applying their expertise to small-molecule drug discovery and translational biomedical research.

The project will involve the development and optimization of cell-based and biochemical assays, evaluation of bioactive small molecules, mechanistic studies using cellular and molecular biology approaches, and proteomics-based analyses. The successful candidate will also contribute to protein expression, purification, and functional characterization, as well as target validation and pathway analysis.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in chemical biology, cell biology, molecular biology, pharmacology, biochemistry, chemistry, or a related field, or equivalent research experience in chemical biology, drug discovery, assay development, or biomedical research.

Experience in cell culture, assay development, molecular biology techniques, proteomics, protein expression and purification, target identification, target validation, or drug discovery will be considered a strong plus. Familiarity with chemical probes, small-molecule biology, medicinal chemistry, or chemical synthesis is desirable, but extensive synthetic chemistry experience is not required.

The successful applicant will join a collaborative and supportive research environment with opportunities to develop expertise across chemical biology, cellular biology, molecular biology, proteomics, and drug discovery. The position offers strong opportunities for scientific growth, publication, collaboration, and career development.

Applicants should be highly motivated, capable of working independently, and enthusiastic about interdisciplinary biomedical research. Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with team members across disciplines are essential.

For more information about the lab and ongoing research projects, please visit the Kitamura Lab homepage:  skitalab.com

Recent Publications

1. Shaum, J. B. et al. High-throughput ligand diversification to discover chemical inducers of proximity.  Nature Chemical Biology 2026, doi:10.1038/s41589-025-02137-2.

2. Dada, L.; Nagai, E.; Agrawal, S.; et al. SuFEx-enabled high-throughput medicinal chemistry for developing potent tamoxifen analogs as Ebola virus entry inhibitors.  Frontiers in Immunology 2025, 16, 1533037, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1533037.

3. Wang, Z. et al. Diversity oriented clicking for modular synthesis.  Nature Reviews Methods Primers 2025, 5(1), 52, doi:10.1038/s43586-025-00421-y.

4. Kitamura, S. et al. Ultra-potent influenza hemagglutinin fusion inhibitor developed through SuFEx-enabled high-throughput medicinal chemistry.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2024, doi:10.1073/pnas.2310677121.

Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae in a single pdf document to  View email address on nature.com . Applicants should be ready to send three letters of reference directly to this email address upon request.

The Einstein base minimum salary for postdoctoral positions is $65,000. For a complete list of the postdoctoral salary ranges, please visit our website:  The salary for this position exceeds the guidelines set by the NIH, ensuring competitive compensation.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. Einstein seeks candidates whose skills, and personal and professional experience, have prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence, and the communities we serve.

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