chemistry phd jobs columbus ohio

Winding career path led alum Daniel Heller to "dream job"

As the head of the Cancer Nanomedicine Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Daniel Heller (PhD, '10) has rapidly become one of the preeminent young scientists in cancer science. In 2023, Heller and colleagues reported a new nanotherapeutic approach targeting blood vessels to deliver medicines to brain cancers. This work could open the doors to new treatments for brain cancer.

Heller said it is definitely a dream job for him to be doing this work, leading a research group, mentoring young researchers. He is also an academic entrepreneur, working with startup companies to bring his group's innovations to the clinic, and now, he is helping his institution build a Cancer Engineering PhD program to explore how engineers and cancer researchers can be integrated in new ways.  

"I get to do so many exciting things," he said.

Heller recently visited with students, faculty and others on the Illinois campus when he returned for the College of LAS alumni award ceremony and was honored with the  LAS Outstanding Young Alumni Award . 

He shared his winding career path with undergraduate and graduate students. A history major in college, Heller discovered that he loved to teach while doing chemistry demonstrations with the chemistry club at a local science museum, so he became a middle school science teacher in Houston, Texas. While helping eighth graders with their science fair projects, he realized how much he loved scientific research and mentoring young researchers.

"I then tried to figure out how to become a scientist," said Heller, who ended up on the Illinois Chemistry website learning what chemistry courses he should take to get into the PhD program. "I then realized I needed to take more math courses as a prerequisite for physical chemistry, so I took math classes at Houston Community College. I almost failed, in part because I had forgotten so much of first semester calculus."

He volunteered in a couple research labs at the University of Houston and Rice University for nearly two years, working on self-assembled monolayers and materials chemistry, optics, and neuroscience and applied to grad schools.

He ultimately was accepted to and chose Illinois, he said, due to the large number of great chemistry and engineering labs he could potentially join. Though a chemistry student, he joined the lab of Michael Strano in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and worked in the field of carbon nanotubes.

"I investigated their novel optical properties and also learned how they could be used to make biosensors. The work heavily impacts my research group today," he said. 

After a postdoctoral position in Bob Langer’s lab at MIT, where he learned about drug delivery and cancer, he applied to faculty positions in chemistry and engineering departments.

"I never thought that I would be at a cancer center or biomedical research institution, but I was at a conference and was approached by a department head from Memorial Sloan Kettering. When deciding where to start my own laboratory, where I intended to develop nanotechnologies to detect and treat cancer, I realized that it would be great to be close to the people who understood the problems that I wanted to address, and even better to be right in the middle of a cancer institution. It turned out to be an ideal place for that," he said.

What have been keys to your success as a researcher?  Supporting the careers of young researchers, being a good collaborator, and always trying to get better at those things.

What do you enjoy most about your work?  Getting to work with so many great people from different backgrounds and fields of expertise and working to make a difference in peoples’ lives.  

How did your advisor and/or research group and/or the graduate program at Illinois impact you? And did your graduate work connect with what you are doing today?  I learned so much from my advisor, who was just starting his lab at the time, about running a lab, and from collaborators and lifelong friends in Chemistry and other departments. My research still focuses on carbon nanotubes, which was the focus of my graduate career, now to develop AI-enabled cancer diagnostics and other technologies to investigate cancer and develop new therapies.   

Any advice for current graduate students wanting to find fulfilling careers in science?  Working with others is so important in a graduate career, to learn the many, many skills that go into becoming a great scientist, and to expand your research into new, exciting directions.

• Getting to Know

More Department News

• Winding career path led alum Daniel Heller to "dream job" As the head of the Cancer Nanomedicine Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Daniel Heller (PhD, '10) has rapidly become one of the preeminent young scientists in cancer science, but after college he became a middle school science teacher, which eventually led him to discover a... Read full story
• Graduate students recognized for outstanding mentorship of undergraduates Priti Kharel, a sixth-year graduate student in the lab of Pinshane Huang, has been awarded the Gary Schuster Mentoring Scholarship, and Prakriti Das, a fifth-year graduate student in the lab of Scott Silverman, has been awarded the Dr. Sandra Murawski Award for Mentoring Excellence. Read full story
• Spotlight: Class of 2024 Chemistry at Illinois graduates Zach Burke Dual degree: Bachelor of Science in chemistry and Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics Undergraduate research: I was in the group of Mikael Backlund where I worked on super resolution via image inversion interferometry. Through this research, we are able to provide... Read full story

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Alexander Umanzor recognized as 2024 CAS Future Leader

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (6/5/2024) – Fourth-year PhD student Alexander Umanzor was recently selected to participate in the 2024 Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Future Leaders program. The CAS – a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) – is an international competition open to PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in chemistry or a related science. Umanzor earned this prestigious distinction as one of the top 35 scientists to apply.

Umanzor, a member of the Roberts Group , joined the University of Minnesota community in Fall 2020 after completion of his undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research in the Roberts Group is focused on developing regioselective nickel aryne complex difunctionalizations. Outside of the lab, he is an active member of the Chemistry DEI committee and plays a crucial role in organizing the semi-annual CSE Distinguished Scientist Seminar. For his dedication to research, teaching, and service, Umanzor has been previously recognized by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship program, the Outstanding Graduate TA Award from the Council of Graduate Students (2022), the Merck Research Award for Underrepresented Chemists of Color (2023), and the CSE Graduate Student Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award (2024).

"I am deeply humbled to be a part of this amazing cohort of scientists and trailblazers for positive change from around the world. I can’t wait to meet them and embark on this journey together! As a 2024 CAS Future Leader, I will use this opportunity to hone my leadership skills to become a better mentor and advocate for others as I approach the end of my graduate studies and pursue postdoctoral training. This recognition is a product of the endless support I have received throughout my graduate career. I’d like to express gratitude to my advisor, Prof. Courtney Roberts, my research group, the DEI committee, and my friends and family for all their support." – Alexander Umanzor

Founded in 2010, the CAS Future Leader program seeks to provide PhD students and postdocs with, "opportunities to learn leadership skills, engage in scientific discourse, and connect with peer scientists and innovators from around the world." The top 35 scholars who apply for the program are selected to visit the CAS headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and receive complimentary registration for the ACS Fall Meeting (which is in Denver, CO in 2024) where they will have the opportunity to present their research. Awardees also receive a 3-year ACS membership, a $1,000 honorarium.

Learn more about the Future Leaders program

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• REQUIMTE - Rede de Quimica e Tecnologia
• Posted on: 7 June 2024

PhD holder Researcher (Reference REQUIMTE 2024-19)

Job information, offer description.

Reference: REQUIMTE 2024-19

Main research field: Chemistry

1. The Board of Directors of REQUIMTE – Rede de Química e Tecnologia – Associação have decided to open an international call for a PhD holder Researcher, under a permanent contract. This announcement is intended to 1 (one) research position ( Reference REQUIMTE 2024-19 ), to pursue scientific research activities in the area Chemistry, under a permanent contract, at Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde - Tecnologias e Processos Limpos  under the Concurso Estimulo ao Emprego Cientifico Institucional – Laboratórios Associados with reference CEECINSTLA/00029/2022, with the financial support of the FCT/ MCTES through national funds, to pursue research activities in Synthesis of photosensitizers and fluorescent probes .

2. Applicable Legislation

Decree-Law no. 124/199 of April 20; Decree-Law no. 57/2016 of August 29th, amended by Law 57/2017 and Regulatory Decree No. 11- A / 2017; Portuguese Labour Code, approved by Law 7/2009 of February 12, in its actual form and Articles 17th, 19th and 28th of the REC, published in Diário da Républica under the number 607-A/2017 of November 22.

3. Pursuant to article 13 of RJEC, the tender selection panel is be formed by: Baltazar Manuel Romão de Castro (Director of REQUIMTE), Paula Cristina de Sério Branco (Associate Professor with Habillitation, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, New University of Lisbon) and Maria do Amparo Ferreira Faustino (Associate Professor, University of Aveiro)

4. The workplace shall be at University of Porto.

5. The gross monthly salary entitle is the corresponding to 195 index of the Scientific Research Career (Anexo I do Decreto-Lei nº 124/99, de 20 de Abril).

6. Application can be submitted by any national, foreign and stateless candidate(s) holding a doctorate degree in Chemistry and related areas, with five years or more relevant post-doctoral experience.

In case the doctorate degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decreto-Lei n.º 66/2018, de 16 de Agosto, and all formalities established therein must be complied with at the signature of work contract.

7. The tender admission general requirements are those defined in the previous point 6, and specific requirements are:

a) Publications in the fields of organic synthesis, synthesis of photosensitizers, synthesis of fluorescent probes, and related areas that totalize more than 50 articles in indexed international journals;

b) Proven experience, through scientific publications, in synthesis of photosensitizers, synthesis of fluorescent probes and synthesis of chelating ligands;

c) Proven experience, through scientific publications/patents, in the use and implementation of sustainable methods of synthesis;

d) Proven experience, through scientific publications, in the evaluation of photo-physical properties;

f) Supervision/co-supervision of at least 1 PhD and 3 Master students with completed thesis;

g) Proven leadership in at least 1 scientific project in the last 5 years.

8. Pursuant to article 5 of RJEC, the selection is to be made based on the evaluation of the scientific and curricular career of the candidate.

9. Scientific and curricular career evaluation focuses on relevance, quality and up-to-datedness:

a) of scientific or technological production, considered most relevant by the candidate in the past 5 years;

b) of research activities, fundamental or applied science, considered of higher impact by the candidate in the past 5 years;

c) of knowledge extension and dissemination activities, namely under the scope of the promotion of culture and scientific practices, deemed most relevant by the candidate;

d) of activities of entrepreneurship and technology transfer;

e) of activities of elaboration of applications for R&TD projects funding.

10. Evaluation criteria are the following:

10.1 Integrated assessment of the curriculum trajectory of the candidate, based on an overview of their scientific merits, namely:

I. Overall scientific coherence of the CV – 10%;

II. Diversity and quality of scientific indicators, including relevant published peer-reviewed articles in the specific areas indicated in points 1 and 7 or demonstrating relevant technical expertise – 25%;

III. Participation and/or coordination on research projects in the area organic synthesis namely photosensitizers – 15%.

10.2 Relevant experience, proved in CV, in: I. Organic synthesis and use of sustainable synthesis methods - 10%

II. Synthesis of photosensitizers and synthesis of fluorescent probes – 10%;

III. Synthesis of chelating ligands for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of metal ions–10%;

IV. Advanced knowledge in organic compound characterization techniques, namely advanced nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry methods – 10%;

V. Proven international experience in participation in cooperation projects/actions and joint publication of articles. –10%.

Only candidates who obtain a classification equal to or greater than 50% in the parameters indicated above will be eligible.

The final score of each jury member is obtained by the following assessment: 90% scientific and curricular career evaluation and 10% interview.

12. Candidate final classification system shall be given based on a scale 0 to 100.

13. The panel shall deliberate by means of roll-call vote justified under adopted and disclosed selection criteria, with no abstentions allowed.

14. Minutes of the jury meetings will be drawn up, which contain a summary of what occurred during them, as well as the votes cast by each jury member and their respective reasons, being provided to candidates whenever requested.

15. After completing the application of the selection criteria, the panel will draw up an ordered list of approved candidates with their respective classification.

16. Panel’s final decision shall be validated by the leader of the institution, who is also in charge of deciding about the hiring.

17. Application formalization:

17.1 The applications are formalized at the electronic address https://www.requimte.com/ with following documents in a digital form, in PDF format:

i) Curriculum vitae;

ii) Motivation letter;

iii) Certificate of qualifications;

iv) Other relevant documentation.

17.2. The application period is from 11/06/2024 and 28/06/2024.

18. All candidates who formalize their applications in an improper way or fail to prove the requirements imposed by this tender are excluded from admission. In case of doubt, the panel is entitled to request any candidate to present further documentation supporting their statements.

19. False statements provided by the candidates shall be punished by law.

20. Both admitted and excluded candidate list and final classification list shall be published at the address of REQUIMTE (Praça Coronel Pacheco nº 15-6º andar, Porto), in the website of the Institute and the selected candidate shall be notified by email.

21. Preliminary Hearing and Final Decision Deadline: After publication, all candidates have 10 working days to respond. Panel’s final decisions are pronounced within a period of 90 working days, from response period deadline.

22. This tender is exclusively destined to fill this specify position and can be terminated at any time until approval of final candidate list, expiring with the respective occupation of said position.

23. Non-discrimination and equal access policy : REQUIMTE actively promotes a non-discrimination and equal access policy, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of any duties based on their ancestry, age, sex, sexual preference, marital status, family and economic conditions, instruction, origin or social conditions, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, origin territory, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and union membership.

24. The panel has approved this announcement in a meeting held on 03/06/2024.

25. According to Decree-Law no. 29/2001 of 3 February, disabled candidates shall be preferred in a situation of equal classification, and said preference supersedes any legal preferences. Candidates must declare, on their honour, their respective disability degree, type of disability and communication/expression means to be used during selection period on their application form, under the regulations above.

26. The selection of candidate to be hired is determined by orientations and regulations issued by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia upon verification of all legal requirements. REQUIMTE is entitled to cancel the present process in case the legal requirements are not fulfilled.

Where to apply

Requirements, additional information, work location(s), share this page.