Entry Level Postdoctoral Associate Jobs
New grad postdoctoral associate jobs welcome recent graduates and entry level candidates with little to no experience, where a strong dissertation chapter, lab rotation, or internship can carry more weight than years on a resume. Most openings are on-site roles across Education, Healthcare & Medical Services, and Science & Research, with employers like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, University of Arizona, and University of Virginia hiring at this level now.
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Showing 5 of 120+ Entry Level Postdoctoral Associate jobs
INTRODUCTION
Brookhaven National Laboratory’s National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate for AI-driven Lab Automation for Life Sciences for an on-site position in the Biological, Environmental and Planetary Science Division.
The aim of the position is to advance the frontiers of structural biology by developing AI-driven methods for improving crystal quality at scale. This role will enable new discoveries in life sciences and bio-technology relying on structural biology methods.
The ideal candidate would have a background and an interest in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Join a team of scientists at the leading macromolecular crystallography beamlines, the crystallization laboratory, the computing center and contribute to science projects at the interface between AI method development and large-scale research facilities.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and implement AI-enabled laboratory-workflows for automated crystallization screening, optimization, and characterization integrating imaging, experimental metadata, and diffraction outcomes.
- Design and deploy computer vision methods to detect and track crystal growth.
- Develop closed-loop optimization approaches to recommend crystallization conditions and harvesting strategies based on experimental feedback.
- Develop, train and integrate AI/ML models with laboratory automation systems, including crystallization robotics, liquid handlers, and imaging platforms.
- Build scalable data pipelines linking experimental metadata, imaging data, and diffraction results for high-throughput analysis.
- Evaluate model performance using experimental metrics and support deployment into user-facing workflows.
- Collaborate with synchrotron beamline scientists and laboratory and crystallization staff.
- Document methods and results, contribute to manuscripts and reports, and present the work at conferences.
- Participate in interdisciplinary team science.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Ph.D. in computer science, bioinformatics, biophysics, applied mathematics, or related field.
- Expertise in machine learning, computer vision, or image analysis.
- Experience with data management and databases.
- Experience working with Python, scientific software development, version control and collaborative code development, such as Git.
- Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams.
- Strong publication record.
PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Experience with machine learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.) and integrating ML in a research lab facility.
- Familiarity with lab automation or robotics.
- Experience with black-box optimization, including active learning or Bayesian optimization.
- Experience with imaging, time-series or high-dimensional data.
- Exposure to crystallography or structural biology.
- Experience with multimodal datasets and developing reproducible workflows.
- Familiarity with experiment tracking and metadata capture.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- This position is a 2-year term, with the possibility of renewal contingent on performance and funding availability.
- Brookhaven Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $71,900-$119,000 / year. You will be placed at the level and salary commensurate with your experience. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.
- Candidates must have completed all degree requirements by the commencement of employment. BNL policy requires that after obtaining a PhD, eligible candidates for research associate appointments may not exceed a combined total of 5 years of relevant work experience as a post-doc and/or in an R&D position, excluding time associated with family planning, military service, illness or other life-changing events.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at BNL | Benefits Program.
Brookhaven National Laboratory requires all non-badged personnel including visitors to produce a REAL-ID or REAL-ID compliant documentation to access Brookhaven National Laboratory. This is due to nationwide identification requirements for federal site access as required by the federal REAL ID Act. Those not in possession of a REAL ID-compliant document will not be permitted to access the site which includes access to the Laboratory for interviews.
As a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory requires employees to obtain and maintain a DOE Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) credential in accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) requirements. The credentialing process is completed as part of onboarding and enables access to DOE facilities and information systems. As a condition of employment, the selected candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a UPIV credential. These requirements are established under DOE Order 206.2 Chg. 2, Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM), and DOE Order 473.1A- Physical Protection Program.
About us
Brookhaven National Laboratory delivers discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation’s future. Brookhaven Lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, 37 R&D 100 Awards, and more than 70 years of pioneering research. The Lab is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) operates and manages the Laboratory for DOE. BSA is a partnership between Battelle and The Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University. BSA salutes our veterans and active military members with careers that leverage the skills and unique experience they gained while serving our country.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
Guided by our core values of integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, and teamwork, Brookhaven Science Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer-Vets/Disabled. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that fuels scientific discovery. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
BSA employees are subject to restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation at the time of hire for review by Brookhaven. The full text of the Order may be found at: https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0486.1-BOrder-a/@@images/file
INTRODUCTION
Brookhaven National Laboratory’s National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate for AI-driven Lab Automation for Life Sciences for an on-site position in the Biological, Environmental and Planetary Science Division.
The aim of the position is to advance the frontiers of structural biology by developing AI-driven methods for improving crystal quality at scale. This role will enable new discoveries in life sciences and bio-technology relying on structural biology methods.
The ideal candidate would have a background and an interest in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Join a team of scientists at the leading macromolecular crystallography beamlines, the crystallization laboratory, the computing center and contribute to science projects at the interface between AI method development and large-scale research facilities.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and implement AI-enabled laboratory-workflows for automated crystallization screening, optimization, and characterization integrating imaging, experimental metadata, and diffraction outcomes.
- Design and deploy computer vision methods to detect and track crystal growth.
- Develop closed-loop optimization approaches to recommend crystallization conditions and harvesting strategies based on experimental feedback.
- Develop, train and integrate AI/ML models with laboratory automation systems, including crystallization robotics, liquid handlers, and imaging platforms.
- Build scalable data pipelines linking experimental metadata, imaging data, and diffraction results for high-throughput analysis.
- Evaluate model performance using experimental metrics and support deployment into user-facing workflows.
- Collaborate with synchrotron beamline scientists and laboratory and crystallization staff.
- Document methods and results, contribute to manuscripts and reports, and present the work at conferences.
- Participate in interdisciplinary team science.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Ph.D. in computer science, bioinformatics, biophysics, applied mathematics, or related field.
- Expertise in machine learning, computer vision, or image analysis.
- Experience with data management and databases.
- Experience working with Python, scientific software development, version control and collaborative code development, such as Git.
- Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams.
- Strong publication record.
PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Experience with machine learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.) and integrating ML in a research lab facility.
- Familiarity with lab automation or robotics.
- Experience with black-box optimization, including active learning or Bayesian optimization.
- Experience with imaging, time-series or high-dimensional data.
- Exposure to crystallography or structural biology.
- Experience with multimodal datasets and developing reproducible workflows.
- Familiarity with experiment tracking and metadata capture.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- This position is a 2-year term, with the possibility of renewal contingent on performance and funding availability.
- Brookhaven Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $71,900-$119,000 / year. You will be placed at the level and salary commensurate with your experience. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.
- Candidates must have completed all degree requirements by the commencement of employment. BNL policy requires that after obtaining a PhD, eligible candidates for research associate appointments may not exceed a combined total of 5 years of relevant work experience as a post-doc and/or in an R&D position, excluding time associated with family planning, military service, illness or other life-changing events.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at BNL | Benefits Program.
Brookhaven National Laboratory requires all non-badged personnel including visitors to produce a REAL-ID or REAL-ID compliant documentation to access Brookhaven National Laboratory. This is due to nationwide identification requirements for federal site access as required by the federal REAL ID Act. Those not in possession of a REAL ID-compliant document will not be permitted to access the site which includes access to the Laboratory for interviews.
As a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory requires employees to obtain and maintain a DOE Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) credential in accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) requirements. The credentialing process is completed as part of onboarding and enables access to DOE facilities and information systems. As a condition of employment, the selected candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a UPIV credential. These requirements are established under DOE Order 206.2 Chg. 2, Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM), and DOE Order 473.1A- Physical Protection Program.
About us
Brookhaven National Laboratory delivers discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation’s future. Brookhaven Lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, 37 R&D 100 Awards, and more than 70 years of pioneering research. The Lab is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) operates and manages the Laboratory for DOE. BSA is a partnership between Battelle and The Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University. BSA salutes our veterans and active military members with careers that leverage the skills and unique experience they gained while serving our country.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
Guided by our core values of integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, and teamwork, Brookhaven Science Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer-Vets/Disabled. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that fuels scientific discovery. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
BSA employees are subject to restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation at the time of hire for review by Brookhaven. The full text of the Order may be found at: https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0486.1-BOrder-a/@@images/file
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Find JobsEntry Level Postdoctoral Associate Job Market
Who's Hiring
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital17
- University of Arizona12
- University of Virginia11
- Washington University in St. Louis8
- Brookhaven National Laboratory6
Top Industries Hiring
- Education86
- Healthcare & Medical Services29
- Science & Research18
- Non-Profit & Social Services10
- Investment & Asset Management9
Entry Level Postdoctoral Associate Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an entry level postdoctoral associate job?
Entry level postdoctoral associate roles typically look for a recently completed or nearly complete doctoral degree in a relevant field. What gives candidates an edge at this stage is demonstrated research output: published papers, conference presentations, or a dissertation that aligns closely with the lab or department's focus. Strong letters of recommendation from dissertation advisors and a clear research statement tailored to the position also set applicants apart.
Which companies hire entry level postdoctoral associates?
Companies hiring entry level postdoctoral associates right now include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, University of Arizona, and University of Virginia, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. Hiring at this level covers research universities, academic medical centers, national laboratories, and private-sector R&D teams actively building early-career research pipelines.
Are there remote entry level postdoctoral associate jobs?
Yes, though most postdoctoral associate roles are lab- or campus-based by nature. About 3% of entry level postdoctoral associate openings are remote or hybrid as of July 2026, concentrated in computational, data-driven, or theoretical research areas where wet-lab access is not required.
Are these new grad postdoctoral associate jobs?
Yes. The listings here include new grad, recent graduate, and junior postdoctoral associate roles. A posting is typically new-grad friendly when it welcomes zero to two years of postdoctoral experience, accepts candidates who are ABD or have defended within the past year, and values internship or graduate research experience in place of independent post-PhD work.
Which industries hire the most entry level postdoctoral associates?
Entry Level postdoctoral associate roles concentrate in Education, Healthcare & Medical Services, and Science & Research, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. These sectors drive hiring at this level because their research pipelines depend on a continuous flow of newly credentialed scientists and scholars to advance ongoing projects and secure grant funding.