Bryn Mawr College
 Postdoctoral Research/Teaching Fellowships in Sciences/Mathematics

Faculty Providing Fellowship Opportunities

Fellowship opportunities are currently available with faculty in the Departments and Programs of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics, and Physics. Applicants with interests spanning subdisciplines or disciplines are invited to be in contact with several relevant faculty members.

Don Barber

  • Research program: quaternary geology and marine sedimentology focusing on 1) paleoceanography; sediment provenance and abrupt climate change in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene; and 2) modern coastal geomorphology, particularly erosion of developed barrier beaches and the stability of vegetated dunes.
  • Teaching: earth systems and the environment, sedimentary materials and environments, natural hazards, and the environmental studies senior seminar.
  • For additional information
  • dbarber@brynmawr.edu

Peter Beckmann

  • Research program: experimental solid state nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry in organic molecular solids with the goal of better understanding the relationships between structure and motion
  • Teaching: all courses, theoretical and experimental, in the undergraduate curriculum, all courses in the basic first-year graduate curriculum, freshman interdisciplinary/writing seminars
  • For additional information
  • pbeckman@brynmawr.edu

Peter Brodfuehrer

  • Research program: analysis of the cellular and network properties of neurons that control the initiation of swimming behavior in the medicinal leech, using electrophysiological, pharmacological, and computational techniques
  • Teaching: introductory biology, cell and molecular neurobiology, animal physiology, topics in neural and behavioral sciences
  • For additional information
  • pbrodfue@brynmawr.edu

Sharon Burgmayer

  • Research program: the interactions between the organic nitrogen heterocyclic compounds called pterins and transition metals; study of unusual paramagnetic molybdenum tris-dithiolene complexes, synthesis of model compounds for the molybdenum site in molybdenum enzymes; study of DNA interactions with new ruthenium pterin complexes. All studies include characterizations by spectroscopy (NMR, IR, UV/VIS, fluorescence, ESI-MS) crystallography, electrochemistry and by other techniques available through collaborations
  • Teaching: general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, group theory, geochemistry
  • For additional information
  • sburgmay@brynmawr.edu

Tamara Davis

  • Research program: analysis of regulation of gene expression, focusing on parent of origin specific epigenetic modifications ("imprinting"), using molecular biological and genetic techniques in mice
  • Teaching: introductory biology, genetics, molecular biology
  • For additional information
  • tdavis@brynmawr.edu

Victor Donnay

  • Research program: ergodic properties of smooth dynamical systems, particularly geodesic flow and billiard systems; exploring the boundary between ergodic and non-ergodic systems
  • Teaching: calculus, probability, analysis, dynamical systems using exploratory, computer-based, cooperative learning approaches; public appreciation of mathematics
  • For additional information
  • vdonnay@brynmawr.edu

Michelle Francl

  • Research program: computational chemistry, the development of methods for assessing the reactivity of molecules with particular attention to assigning charge to atoms, structures and reactivities of organic and organometallic molecules
  • Teaching: integration of active learning methods into introductory/advanced chemistry courses, freshman interdisciplinary/writing seminars
  • For additional information
  • mfrancl@brynmawr.edu

Jonas Goldsmith

  • Research program: (1) Design and synthesis of transition metal complexes for the surface functionalization of carbon nanotubes. A wide variety of electrochemical techniques including cyclic voltammetry, potential step chronoamperometry and the sue of an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance will be employed. (2) Investigation of novel iridium-based photosensitizers for the photocatalytic reduction of water to hydrogen. Spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques will be used to elucidate the mechanism and relevant kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the photo-inducted electron transfer.
  • Teaching: general chemistry, physical chemistry, nanoscience, integrated lab (for junior chemistry majors
  • For additional information
  • jigoldsmit@brynmawr.edu

Karen Greif

  • Research program: the process of cellular maturation during development of the mammalian nervous system, with focus on cell-cell interactions; normal patterns of development and role of activity and other trans-synaptic factors in the expression of synaptic vesicle-specific molecules in rat sympathetic ganglia and central nervous system.
  • Teaching: introductory biology, cell biology, science policy, environmental sciences
  • For additional information
  • kgreif@brynmawr.edu

Paul Grobstein

  • Research program: explorations of the nature of spatial representations and of the role of unpredictability in neuronal function and behavior; explorations of the significance of neuroscience for education, health, ethics, public policy, and philosophy; explorations of the web and its potentials for education and social change
  • Teaching: introductory biology, neurobiology, computational and theoretical biology, freshman interdisciplinary/writing seminars, institutes for pre-college teachers
  • For additional information
  • pgrobste@brynmawr.edu

Helen G. Grundman

  • Research program: algebraic number fields, Hilbert modular varieties, Galois realizability, elementary number theory, modular forms, computational number theory
  • Teaching: abstract algebra; linear algebra; number theory; transition to upper-level mathematics, particularly proof-writing and active reading of mathematics; teaching mathematics to math phobic students
  • For additional information
  • hgrunda@brynmawr.edu

Margaret Hollyday

  • Research program: pattern formation and the regulation of cell proliferation in the vertebrate nervous system
  • Teaching: basic biology related to structure, function, and development at the cellular and organismal levels, developmental biology of animals, evolution, and freshman interdisciplinary/writing seminars with a focus on gender.
  • For additional information
  • mhollyda@brynmawr.edu

Deepak Kumar

  • Research program: computer science-artificial intelligence-embodied agent architectures: studies of possible architectures that use symbolic as well as sub-symbolic models for reasoning, acting, and learning. BDI architectures, robotics, cognitive science, computational linguistics, evolutionary computation
  • Teaching: computer science education: development of a new program and curriculum in computer science that integrates well with the goals of a liberal arts education. Interdisciplinary computer science courses include cross-overs with biology, psychology, philosophy, cognitive science, and writing.
  • For additional information
  • dkumar@brynmawr.edu

William P. Malachowski

  • Research program: bio-organic chemistry, ranging from synthetic methodology development to enzyme inhibition studies
  • Teaching: general chemistry, organic chemistry
  • For additional information
  • wmalacho@brynmawr.edu

Frank Mallory

  • Research program: the synthesis of very large members of the family of polycyclic aromatic compounds called phenacenes; studies of the scope and mechanism of the stilbene-to-phenanthrene type of photocyclization reaction; investigations of the phenomenon of "through-space" nuclear spin-spin coupling involving nonbonded interactions between intramolecularly crowded atoms
  • Teaching: introductory organic chemistry, advanced organic chemistry, with special emphasis on reaction mechanisms; photochemistry; seminar on current topics in organic chemistry
  • For additional information
  • fmallory@brynmawr.edu

Elizabeth McCormack

  • Research program: 1) Photophysics; laser-based studies of atomic and molecular excited-state structure and decay dynamics using a variety of spectroscopic techniques; currently using nonlinear optical techniques such as multiphoton excitation and laser-induced grating spectroscopy to probe excited state structure and dynamics of fundamental small molecules in both the frequency and time domains. 2) Laser-trapped mirrors; explorations novel architecture concepts for creating large, ultra-lightweight mirrors for applications in space-based astronomy.
  • Teaching: undergraduate and graduate courses in physics, freshmen interdisciplinary/writing seminars
  • For additional information
  • emccorma@brynmawr.edu

Michael Noel

  • Research program: Study and control of long range interactions and energy transfer among highly excited atoms in an ultracold gas using a variety of spectroscopic, laser cooling, and trapping techniques
  • Teaching: introductory and advanced courses in physics including advanced teaching laboratories
  • For additional information
  • mnoel@brynmawr.edu

Arlo Weil

  • Research program: understanding the kinematics and mechanics of curved fold-thrust belts, paleomagnetism applied to regional and global tectonic problems, the driving mechanism behind tectonic related remagnetizations, Proterozoic paleogeography and tectonics
  • Teaching: introductory physical geology, tectonics, structural geology, natural hazards, geophysics, paleomagnetism
  • For additional information
  • aweil@brynmawr.ed

Susan White

  • Research program: RNA-protein interactions in yeast, using a wide variety of molecular biological and biophysical methods
  • Teaching: general chemistry, biochemistry
  • For additional information
  • swhite@brynmawr.edu