Current Opportunities at Vanderbilt

The Mitchell Laboratory is recruiting postdoctoral fellows to lead high-impact projects at the
interface of chemical and synthetic biology. Our research aims to discover and engineer macrocyclic
peptides as chemical probes and therapeutic leads.

Current thrust areas include: (i) genomics-enabled discovery and optimization of RiPPs, (ii)
structure- and AI-guided engineering of macrocyclic peptides to target disease-related proteins, and
(iii) development of scalable peptide display and evolution platforms for drug discovery. Fellows will
be expected to drive an independent project within one of these areas, publish in leading journals,
and contribute to collaborative initiatives within the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB).

Our group is supported by multiple NIH awards, industrial contracts, and private foundations. Our
embedding in the VICB and other Vanderbilt centers provides access to state-of-the-art facilities in
cryo-EM, proteomics/MS, NMR spectroscopy, high-throughput screening, computational biology,
and animal models. Trainees benefit from a highly interactive biomedical ecosystem and strong
cross-disciplinary collaborations across campus. Mentorship emphasizes scientific independence,
rigorous mechanistic thinking, and preparation for academic or industry leadership positions.

We seek applications from candidates who are nearing completion of their doctoral training that
have demonstrated research excellence through first-author publications. Experience in highthroughput
library design, directed evolution, or mammalian cell culture are particularly desirable.

Postdoctoral salaries follow current NIH guidelines and include full benefits. Nashville offers a
vibrant research community and a provides a high quality of life.

Keywords: Genome-Mining, Bioinformatics, Enzyme Chemistry, Biosynthesis, Natural Products, Synthetic Biology,
Macrocyclic Peptides, RiPPs, Directed Evolution, Peptide Display, Drug Discovery.

To apply, email douglas.mitchell@vanderbilt.edu with: (i) a one-page cover letter describing
research accomplishments, scientific interests, and career goals, (ii) a current CV including a
complete list of published and submitted peer-reviewed articles, and (iii) two PDFs of representative first-author research articles.