Are you a recent Ph.D. graduate looking for an opportunity to expand your research career? Michigan State University (MSU) is offering multiple postdoctoral fellowships across diverse disciplines, including AI-driven drug discovery, nanomedicine, remote sensing, planetary science, machine learning, and more!
Whether you’re interested in drug discovery, bioinformatics, astrophysics, food microbiology, nanotechnology, or sustainable energy solutions, MSU provides a world-class research environment, strong mentorship, and collaboration opportunities.
🚀 Below is a list of 17 open postdoctoral positions at MSU. Find the one that best fits your career goals and apply today!
1. Postdoctoral Position in Computational Drug Discovery (Chen Lab, Pediatrics & Human Development)
📍 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
🧑🔬 Field: AI-Based Drug Repurposing, Computational Biology
📅 Closing Date: May 15, 2025
💡 Why You Should Apply:
The Chen Lab is leading AI-driven drug discovery efforts, developing new therapeutic candidates for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and SARS-CoV-2 using systems biology and machine learning.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, or Chemical Biology
✔️ Experience in AI-based drug discovery and computational modeling
✔️ Interest in independent research and drug repurposing
🔗 More Details & Application: Chen Lab Website
2. Postdoctoral Position in Remote Sensing & Carbon Modeling (ERSAM Lab, Geography & Environment)
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🌿 Field: Ecological Remote Sensing, Carbon Cycle Modeling
📅 Closing Date: September 9, 2026
💡 Why You Should Apply:
Join Dr. Kyla Dahlin’s ERSAM Lab, working on mapping forest disturbances and estimating carbon uptake using radiative transfer modeling. The role includes fieldwork and participation in the Spectral Ecology Summer School (SPEC School).
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Ecology, Geography, Biology, or Forestry
✔️ Strong skills in R/Python/Google Earth Engine for remote sensing
✔️ Valid U.S. driver’s license required for fieldwork
🔗 More Details & Application: ERSAM Lab Website
3. Postdoctoral Position in Precision Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy (Radiology, Human Medicine)
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🔬 Field: Nanotechnology, RNA-Based Drug Delivery
📅 Closing Date: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position involves developing image-guided nanocarriers for RNA-based cancer therapy, conducting in vitro and in vivo studies, and working on novel cancer therapies.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Biology, Biomedical Engineering, or related fields
✔️ Experience in nanomedicine and molecular biology
✔️ Interest in mentoring and collaborative research
🔗 More Details & Application: MSU Radiology
4. Postdoctoral Position in Food Microbiology & Synthetic Microbial Communities
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🥗 Field: Microbiology, Metabolomics, Fermented Foods
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
Join Dr. Ahmed Abdelhamid’s research program, focusing on synthetic microbial communities to enhance food production and health.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field
✔️ Strong skills in microbial community analysis and biofilm research
✔️ Experience in metabolomics and grant writing
🔗 More Details & Application: MSU Food Science
5. Postdoctoral Position in Next-Generation Battery Materials
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
⚡ Field: Electrochemistry, Battery Science, Materials Chemistry
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position focuses on developing materials for Li and Na batteries to enhance energy storage efficiency and sustainability.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemistry, or related fields
✔️ Experience in solid-state battery materials and electrochemistry
✔️ Interest in mentoring and grant writing
🔗 More Details & Application: MSU CHEMS Department
6. Postdoctoral Position in Building Energy Performance & Decarbonization
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🏗️ Field: Energy Modeling, Sustainability, Decarbonization
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position, under the guidance of Dr. Kristen Cetin and Dr. Annick Anctil, focuses on building energy performance, life cycle assessment, and decarbonization. The postdoc will contribute to energy workforce development and predictive modeling to make buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, or a related field
✔️ Experience with energy modeling, sustainability assessments, and computational analysis
✔️ Interest in reducing carbon footprints in the built environment
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
7. Postdoctoral Position in AI & Neuro-Symbolic Reasoning
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🤖 Field: Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position focuses on developing AI models that integrate symbolic reasoning with machine learning for improved multi-modal learning. The postdoc will work on vision-and-language navigation systems and AI frameworks that enhance reasoning capabilities.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field
✔️ Experience in NLP, computer vision, deep learning, and symbolic reasoning
✔️ Strong programming skills in Python, TensorFlow, or PyTorch
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
8. Postdoctoral Position in Planetary Science & Exoplanets
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🪐 Field: Planetary Science, Astronomy, Astrobiology
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position, led by Prof. Darryl Seligman, explores dark comets, interstellar objects, and planetary volcanism. It welcomes candidates from various astrophysics backgrounds, even those with no prior planetary science experience.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Earth Sciences, or a related field
✔️ Experience in planetary modeling, spectroscopy, or observational techniques
✔️ Interest in exploring planetary bodies and their atmospheres
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
9. Postdoctoral Position in Plant Molecular Biology
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🌿 Field: Genetics, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
Part of the NSF-funded Water and Life Interface Institute (WALII), this project focuses on dehydration and desiccation tolerance in Arabidopsis. The postdoc will use advanced microscopy, molecular biology, and physiological experiments to uncover plant survival mechanisms.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, or a related field
✔️ Expertise in gene expression, plant physiology, and microscopy techniques
✔️ Interest in stress physiology and bioengineering solutions for crop resilience
🔗 More Details & Application: WALII Website
10. Postdoctoral Position in Stem Cell Research & Reproductive Biology
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🧬 Field: Stem Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Reproductive Health
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
Dr. Yuan Wang’s lab studies germ cell development and reproductive health, using stem cell differentiation platforms and mouse models. The research aims to understand infertility mechanisms and develop therapeutic interventions.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Biology, Reproductive Sciences, Genetics, or a related field
✔️ Experience with stem cell culture, gene editing (CRISPR), and reproductive biology
✔️ Interest in developing fertility treatments and regenerative medicine
🔗 More Details & Application: Dr. Wang’s Lab Website
11. Postdoctoral Position in Metal-Sulfur Batteries
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🔋 Field: Battery Materials, Electrochemistry, Energy Storage
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
Dr. Ruigang Wang’s lab is advancing metal-sulfur batteries by developing earth-abundant electrode and electrolyte materials to enhance battery performance and sustainability.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Materials Science, Electrochemistry, or related fields
✔️ Expertise in battery characterization, material synthesis, and solid-state electrolytes
✔️ Interest in next-generation energy storage solutions
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
12. Postdoctoral Position in High-Energy Physics & AI Applications
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
⚛️ Field: Quantum Chromodynamics, Computational Physics
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
Work with the CTEQ Tung Et. Al. (CTEQ-TEA) group on AI-driven quantum chromodynamics studies related to hadron structure and particle physics.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Physics, Computational Science, or related fields
✔️ Experience in large-scale simulations, quantum computing, or AI applications in physics
✔️ Interest in particle physics and high-performance computing
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
13. Postdoctoral Position in Genomic Variation of Tuna Species
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🧬 Field: Bioinformatics, Genomics, Molecular Biology
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This role focuses on genome sequencing of Thunnus tunas and developing diagnostic molecular assays for species identification.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Genetics, Marine Biology, Bioinformatics, or related fields
✔️ Experience in genome sequencing, computational biology, and conservation genomics
✔️ Interest in species identification and molecular ecology
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
14. Postdoctoral Position in Radiative Transfer Modeling for Astrophysics
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
✨ Field: Astrophysics, Radiative Transfer, Computational Modeling
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
The TARDIS collaboration at MSU focuses on radiative transfer modeling for astrophysical transients, including supernovae, neutron star mergers, and stellar explosions. The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to advancing the open-source TARDIS framework, working on synthetic spectra and astrophysical data analysis.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Computational Physics, or a related field
✔️ Experience in radiative transfer methods, Monte Carlo simulations, or spectral modeling
✔️ Proficiency in Python, C++, or other scientific programming languages
✔️ Interest in open-source software development and large-scale astrophysical computations
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
15. Postdoctoral Position in Sustainable Construction Management
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🏗️ Field: Construction Management, Sustainability, Predictive Cost Modeling
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position focuses on mass timber decision support systems for sustainable construction, integrating predictive cost modeling, risk assessment, and life cycle analysis. The researcher will work on developing tools to improve the sustainability and economic viability of mass timber buildings.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Construction Management, Architecture, Civil Engineering, or a related field
✔️ Experience in predictive cost modeling, risk assessment, and digital twin technology
✔️ Strong data analysis skills using Python, MATLAB, or R
✔️ Interest in integrating AI and machine learning for construction decision-making
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
16. Postdoctoral Position in RNA Therapeutics & Cancer Biology
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🧬 Field: RNA Biology, Cancer Research, Molecular Therapeutics
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This postdoctoral opportunity focuses on RNA-based therapeutics for cancer treatment, with an emphasis on developing RNA drugs for tumor suppression and gene editing approaches. The research integrates molecular biology, bioinformatics, and preclinical models to design novel therapeutic strategies.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, or a related field
✔️ Experience in RNA sequencing, CRISPR gene editing, or cancer molecular pathways
✔️ Strong expertise in drug delivery systems and RNA-based therapeutics
✔️ Interest in translational medicine and developing RNA-targeted therapies
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
17. Postdoctoral Position in Imaging & Cancer Nanomedicine
📍 Location: East Lansing, Michigan
🔬 Field: Nanotechnology, Drug Delivery, Biomedical Imaging
📅 Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
💡 Why You Should Apply:
This position focuses on advanced nanocarrier drug delivery systems for targeted cancer therapy, using cutting-edge imaging techniques to track therapeutic efficiency. The postdoc will develop precision nanocarriers for chemotherapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy applications.
✅ Ideal Candidate Profile:
✔️ Ph.D. in Nanotechnology, Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field
✔️ Experience in drug delivery system design, nanoparticle formulation, and biomedical imaging (MRI, PET, or fluorescence imaging)
✔️ Strong background in cancer biology and molecular targeting strategies
✔️ Interest in developing clinically relevant nanoparticle-based therapeutics
🔗 More Details & Application: Available on the MSU Careers website.
Final Thoughts
These postdoctoral positions at MSU offer diverse opportunities in astrophysics, construction management, RNA therapeutics, and nanomedicine, allowing researchers to work on innovative, high-impact projects.
🚀 Which of these postdoc positions excites you the most? Drop a comment below!
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