Application Deadlines: Open – positions reviewed on a rolling basis
| Positions | Postdoctoral researchers + fully funded PhD students |
| University | Penn State – Department of Chemistry |
| Location | University Park (State College), Pennsylvania, USA |
| Funding & Salary | Postdoc salary + full PhD funding; about 70% of the PI’s publications are in journals with IF above 10 |
| Start Date | Open |
| Application Deadline | Open (rolling) |
| How to Apply | Email CV to ruobo.zhou@psu.edu (postdocs include 2-3 references) |
Scholarship Description:
Dr. Ruobo Zhou’s research group in the Department of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University is recruiting postdoctoral researchers and fully funded PhD students in interdisciplinary directions spanning biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Dr. Ruobo Zhou received his B.S. in applied physics from the University of Science and Technology of China and his Ph.D. in physics (biophysics) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then performed postdoctoral research in Prof. Xiaowei Zhuang’s laboratory in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, and has been an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Penn State since 2021, where he secured a 5-year NIH MIRA award within five months of joining. He has published 8 research papers in Science, Nature, and Cell as first or co-author, including more than 20 papers in high-impact journals such as Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Methods, PNAS, and Nano Letters (about 70% of his published papers are in journals with an impact factor above 10). Since establishing his independent group he has published more than 10 papers as corresponding author in journals including Science Advances and Nature Communications. Principal investigator page: https://science.psu.edu/chem/people/rkz5110
The laboratory uses cutting-edge biological imaging and analysis technologies – including super-resolution fluorescence imaging of cells, single-molecule detection, and high-throughput genomic imaging – to study topics related to neurobiology, RNA biology, and diseases in immunology (including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer). The research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Lab website: https://www.thezhoulab.org/
Available Subjects:
- Super-resolution fluorescence imaging of cells, single-molecule detection, and high-throughput genomic imaging.
- Neurobiology, RNA biology, and immunology-related diseases (including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer).
- Highly interdisciplinary research combining chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering.
Eligibility criteria:
- Postdoc applicants: a doctoral degree obtained or soon to be obtained in biology, chemistry, physics, or biomedical engineering, with first-author research papers published (or accepted) in related fields.
- PhD student or technician applicants: a bachelor’s or master’s degree obtained or soon to be obtained in biology, chemistry, physics, biomedical engineering, pharmacy, or related fields.
- Priority will be given to applicants with backgrounds in one of the following: optical imaging, biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology, cancer, RNA genomics, protein mass spectrometry, organic synthesis, or programming (MATLAB, Python, etc.).
- Passionate about research, hard-working, careful and rigorous, responsible, and with a spirit of teamwork.
Application Procedure:
Please send a CV to ruobo.zhou@psu.edu. Postdoc applicants should also provide the names and contact information of two to three references.
About Penn State: the Department of Chemistry ranks between 15th and 35th in US News over the past 20 years. The main campus is in State College, a classic college town with very good public safety, low cost of living, campus bus service covering the whole town, and many Chinese supermarkets and restaurants. It is close to the US East Coast: 10-15 minutes by car to the airport (direct flights to New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit), 2 hours to Pittsburgh, 3 hours to Philadelphia, 3.5 hours to Washington DC and Baltimore, and 4 hours to New York City.
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