A 1-year postdoctoral position is available starting from January 2011, (extendable for additional 12 months) to study the “solid structure” of ionic liquids (ILs) and ionic solids (ISs) with relevance to the pharmaceutical industry. The research will be centred in the use of NMR techniques in tandem with molecular modelling to study the physical chemistry of molecular interactions in ILs and ISs. The project will be performed at the NMR centres at the Universities of Aveiro (solid state NMR) and Nova de Lisboa (liquids NMR).
The properties of pure ILs/ISs will be studied using liquid and solid-state NMR techniques. Multinuclear liquid-state NMR experiments and high-resolution solid-state NMR methods employing 1H-X heteronuclear experiments (X=19F, 31P, 13C) and triple resonance NMR experiments will be used to characterize ISs with low melting points (“solid ionic liquids”). These studies will be complemented with first principles calculation of NMR parameters and classical molecular dynamics simulations. In a later stage the solvation of different molecules of pharmaceutical interest in biocompatible ILs will be addressed.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in a challenging environment having the possibility to be familiar with several experimental techniques (X-ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy) and how to use them in complement with NMR spectroscopy. The candidate will also have the opportunity to participate in a project of great relevance to the pharmaceutical industry and with impact in environmental issues. Aveiro is a very pleasant city near the seacoast, located between Porto and Lisbon with everything within walking distance.
Equipment: The candidate will have access to all equipments within the Portuguese NMR network (http://ptnmr.dq.ua.pt) ranging from 400 MHz to 800 MHz spectrometers with a variety of probes and other accessories for solids and liquids and will have access also to a shared computer cluster (http:// http://wikis.ua.pt/flamingo/). Both institutes are well equipped with 6 BRUKER AVANCE III NMR (400 to 600 MHz) spectrometers equipped with more than 20 probes. Details may be found in the aforementioned link.
Duration: 12 months extendable to 24 months, preferably from January 2011.
Candidate Profile:
- The candidate should hold a PhD in Chemistry, Physics, Physical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Materials Sciences or related disciplines.
- Previous experience in magnetic resonance related spectroscopy (instrumentation and theory) is necessary.
- Good informatics skills and experience with molecular modeling calculations is highly appreciated.
Salary: 1495 EUR/month (Free of taxes)
Deadlines:
Applications will be accepted from 30th of November 2010 to 10th of January 2011.
The candidates will be informed by email about the result of the selection process.
Documents for the application:
- Cover letter;
- Detailed Curriculum Vitae and, at least, two reference contacts.
Applications should be sent by email to Dr. Luís Mafra (lmafra@ua.pt).
Alternatively, the documents should be sent to:
Dr. Luís Mafra
Departamento de Química
CICECO
Universidade de Aveiro,
3810-193 Aveiro
Portugal
Tel. (+351) 234 370620
(Reception of the documents by email is preferable)
