About the role
A small Maryland life-sciences company is standing up a continuous-flow UV-LED photochemistry capability in a dedicated wet laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland, and is looking for a photochemist to lead the technical design and commissioning of that capability and to design the experimental program that runs on it.
This is a part-time consulting engagement, not an oversight role. You would be the only photochemistry specialist on the project, working alongside the project's principal investigator, who carries out day-to-day execution. Your work sets the method; theirs runs it. The engagement suits someone who enjoys building an experimental capability from an empty bench and is comfortable being the person in the room who knows photochemistry.
The scientific problem is the controlled photoisomerization of a small-molecule natural product in continuous flow. The practical difficulty is selectivity: the desired photoproduct and an unwanted photocyclization product are accessed under overlapping conditions, and the process must deliver one while holding the other to a low, measured limit.
What you would do
· Specify a continuous-flow UV-LED photoreactor and supporting equipment, and evaluate vendor options against the process requirements
· Lead commissioning: leak and thermal testing, pump verification, dissolved-oxygen control at the illuminated-zone inlet, and residence-time distribution characterization
· Perform chemical actinometry to establish delivered photon flux rather than relying on nameplate lamp wattage. This is a specific and important deliverable
· Design the experimental program: a screening design augmented to a response surface across the controlling variables, with wavelength-comparison, photostability, and over-irradiation arms
· Correlate inline analytical measurements against offline chromatographic reference methods
· Advise on photon dose, path length, optical density, and wavelength-band selection as these bear on selectivity
· Train and support the principal investigator in running the program day to day
· Document methods to a standard suitable for a regulated development record and for use as technical support in patent prosecution
Required
· PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, or a closely related field with a photochemistry emphasis, or an MS with substantial equivalent industrial experience
· Demonstrated hands-on experience with continuous-flow photochemical reactors, including UV-LED sources. Batch-only photochemistry experience is not a substitute
· Practical experience with chemical actinometry and photon-flux measurement
· Working knowledge of HPLC method development and impurity profiling, sufficient to collaborate with analytical staff and interpret their data
· Design-of-experiments fluency, and the judgement to know which design a question calls for
· Able to work on-site in Cambridge, Maryland on a regular basis, with heavier weeks during commissioning
· Authorized to work in the United States. This role cannot support visa sponsorship
Preferred
· Photoisomerization or photocyclization selectivity work, particularly stilbenoid or polyphenol systems
· Experience commissioning laboratory equipment in a newly established or shared facility
· Familiarity with ICH analytical principles and development documentation that later supports regulatory or patent filings
· Prior SBIR or other federally funded program experience
· Named inventorship, or experience supporting patent prosecution with technical data
What this role is not
Being straightforward about this will save both sides time. This is a part-time engagement at a small company on Maryland's Eastern Shore. There is no photochemistry group to join, no existing reactor to inherit, and no laboratory staff reporting to you. Analytical chemistry, reference-standard synthesis, and impurity characterization are handled by an external contract laboratory. The role is the photochemistry, and the person who takes it should want that scope rather than tolerate it.
Compensation and terms
Independent consultant, approximately 8 hours per week on average over about twelve months, with heavier on-site weeks during reactor commissioning. Rate commensurate with experience.
This engagement is contingent on a pending federal grant award. The funding decision is expected in the first half of 2027 and the anticipated start is April 2027. A smaller advisory engagement reviewing the reactor specification may be available earlier.
How to apply
Apply with a CV and a short note describing a flow photochemistry system you have specified, built, or commissioned, and what went wrong with it. A few paragraphs is plenty. We are more interested in that than in a formal cover letter.
[Employer name] is an equal-opportunity employer.
Pay: $45.00 - $105.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Cambridge, MD 21613
