Post Doctorate Research Associate - Materials Synthesis and In-Situ Characterization

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.  

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus. 

The Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate's (PCSD’s) strengths in experimental, computational, and theoretical chemistry and materials science, together with our advanced computing, applied mathematics and data science capabilities, are central to the discovery mission we embrace at PNNL. But our most important resource is our people—experts across the range of scientific disciplines who team together to take on the biggest scientific challenges of our time. 

The Physical Sciences Division stewards discovery science research portfolios including catalysis, materials science, separations, analytical chemistry, geosciences, and chemical physics. Our research strives to refine our molecular-level understanding of multiphase systems and phenomena including complex interfaces. We discover and apply new knowledge to address major national priorities and needs in energy sustainability through the development of new energy storage technologies and the creation of high-value fuels and materials from abundant wastes. 
Responsibilities

As a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Materials Sciences group, you will join a talented, multi-investigator team performing experimental and computational research to design and synthesize new materials related to electrochemical and thermal energy storage, and porous materials for mass limited laser targets. You will be involved in a cutting-edge research program focused on developing multiple in-situ calorimetric and spectroscopic tools. You will also perform characterization of materials using multiple spectroscopic and microscopic tools with a particular emphasis on structure-properties-function relationships using the state-of-the-art material characterization capabilities at PNNL.

• Synthesis and characterization of bulk and porous materials for various applications.
• Development of in-operando, in-situ and ex-situ calorimetric, microscopy and diffraction tools for real time characterization of materials.
• Correlating synthesis, structure, thermal and electrochemical properties through multimodal analysis.
• Supporting technical leadership with organized results for progress reports and leading manuscript writing.
• Collaborating and solving technical problems in collaboration with a diverse team.
• Presenting research at conferences and project meetings.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a PhD within the past five years (60 months) or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with the development of in-situ calorimetric and diffraction tools demonstrated through research work and/or publications.
• Proficiency in operation and analysis of spectroscopy, microscopy and diffraction tools related to thermal and electrochemical energy storage materials.
• Experience in the synthesis of porous foam materials.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, demonstrated through publications and presentations.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.