The Physics and Biophysics Department at the University of San Diego is currently inviting applications for a unique postdoctoral fellow position expressly designed to prepare PhDs for faculty positions at undergraduate institutions. The successful candidate will conduct biological active matter physics research in the Robertson-Anderson lab, teach undergraduate physics and biophysics courses, and mentor undergraduate researchers. The time devoted to each will be customized to match the strengths, desires, and future aspirations of the postdoc. 

Research: The open postdoctoral position is highly interdisciplinary and will provide ample opportunities for developing expertise in: optical tweezers microrheology, fluorescence microscopy, high throughput computational data acquisition and analysis, DDM and fourier image analysis, cytoskeleton protein purification and characterization, and materials design and synthesis. This research also includes collaborations with researchers from University of Chicago, UCSB, Syracuse, and RIT, so the postdoc will build a strong national network of mentors and peers at top-ranking research universities. The Robertson-Anderson lab, in the Physics and Biophysics Department at the University of San Diego, specializes in designing bio-inspired soft materials with novel emergent properties, and elucidating the macromolecular dynamics that give rise to the fascinating physical properties that these active materials exhibit. To this end, we develop and use optical tweezers and fluorescence microscopy techniques to characterize microrheological, dynamical, and structural properties. We are a diverse and dynamic group of postdocs, undergraduates, and collaborators from across the world, and our research is broadly funded by NSF, WM Keck Foundation, NIH, AFOSR, and Research Corporation.

Mentoring: The postdoc will have the opportunity to mentor 1-4 undergraduate researchers in the Robertson-Anderson lab each year (depending on postdoc interest). Responsibilities will likely include mentoring 1-2 students working directly under the postdoc, and 1-2 students working on related research projects. The postdoc will not only gain valuable mentoring experience, but will also co-author publications/presentations resulting from the undergraduate research projects. 

Teaching: The postdoc will have the opportunity to teach 1-2 undergraduate lecture and/or lab courses each year in the Physics and Biophysics Department. Courses taught will initially be the lower-division course sequence for life science majors, but there will be opportunities to teach upper-division and special topics courses if desired. The exact number and type of courses will be jointly decided by the postdoc and PI.

Application process: Candidates should have a PhD in physics, although related doctoral degrees will be considered. Applications should include a cover letter, CV, and 3 letters of recommendation. All materials should be emailed to randerson@sandiego.edu. Applications will be considered until the position is filled.