Penn State is hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher - Metabolomics, Microbial Metabolism, and Enzymology

Penn State is hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher for the Mohanty Lab at the University Park campus. This role focuses on decoding host–microbiome chemical communication through the integrated use of mass spectrometry, data science, and experimental biochemistry. You will join a collaborative environment dedicated to advancing scientific understanding and supporting career development.

What You'll Do

• Contribute to projects spanning untargeted and targeted LC-MS/MS based metabolomics.
• Contribute to projects involving repository-scale metabolomics mining (GNPS/MassIVE, MetaboLights, Metabolomics Workbench).
• Contribute to projects focused on the discovery and characterization of microbial and host-derived metabolites.
• Contribute to projects involving enzymology and biochemical characterization of metabolite-modifying enzymes.
• Contribute to projects integrating metabolomics with microbial, dietary, drug, and aging-related phenotypes.

What We're Looking For

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Biology, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated research experience in at least one of the following areas: Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics or proteomics, Enzyme biochemistry or mechanistic enzymology, Microbial metabolism or molecular biology, Computational analysis of high-dimensional biological data.

Nice to Have

• Experience with LC-MS/MS data analysis (GNPS, MZmine, SIRIUS, or related tools).
• Experience with enzyme expression, purification, or biochemical assays.
• Familiarity with R or Python for data analysis.
• Interest in interdisciplinary research bridging computation and experimentation.

Technical Stack

• LC-MS/MS, GNPS, MassIVE, MetaboLights, Metabolomics Workbench, MZmine, SIRIUS, R, Python

Team & Environment

The Mohanty Lab provides a collaborative, supportive environment with strong mentorship, opportunities for independent project development, conference travel, and career development toward academic, industry, or data science careers.

Benefits & Compensation

• Competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.

Work Mode

This is an onsite position at the University Park campus.

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.