Joint Research Faculty at ORNL (JFO) - Electrochemical Energy Storage

Requisition Id 11371 

Overview:

The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) is assembling a team of Electrochemical Energy Storage Research Faculty (EESRF) and ORNL staff to collaborate with UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers in the area of Electrochemical Energy Storage as part of the UT-ORII Convergent Research Initiative ‘Energy Storage’. 

UT-ORII was founded in 2019 by the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to help the US maintain prominence as a global leader in innovation and discovery, and to create a robust talent pipeline in areas of growing national need and demand. UT-ORII is funded by the Department of Energy and the State of Tennessee.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Join us at UT-ORII, where your career will thrive in collaboration with esteemed researchers from both the UT and ORNL. This early-career position is located at ORNL and will be Joint-Research Faculty at ORNL (JFO) with both institutions.  As an integral part of the team, you will engage in a dynamic blend of activities, from theoretical explorations and laboratory experiments to crafting comprehensive reports and impactful proposals. Your innovative ideas will find a home here, shaping ongoing research projects and leaving a lasting mark. Your role goes beyond the lab. Mentorship will be a key aspect, guiding and inspiring graduate and undergraduate students. As a valued, emerging researcher in the ORNL Physical Sciences Directorate and the UT-OR Innovation Institute, you'll have access to a rich network of resources, including seminars, training opportunities, and collaborations that will propel your career forward.

Moreover, the position provides opportunities and eligibility for funding streams outside of Department of Energy (DOE) grants, like National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Health (NIH) and others.

The team to be constructed will have complementary skills, but will be primarily focused on electrochemical energy storage.

More About UT-ORII:

The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute is a partnership of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UT created to prepare interdisciplinary leaders in energy, science, and technology and develop a world-class workforce for industry, government, and academia that will drive innovation and create the industries of the future. More information is available at University of Tennessee - Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (utorii.com). Today’s energy economy is driven by disruptive technologies and swift change. The US is in a global competition for jobs, talent, and investment. To successfully compete, we must develop leadership talent in research and development (R&D), encourage entrepreneurship, and create an educational environment that promotes rapid innovation and attracts skilled professionals. Leveraging a 75-plus-year UT-ORNL partnership, UT and ORNL have developed joint institutes, joint facilities, interdisciplinary PhD programs, and comprehensive joint faculty arrangements, including 17 Governor’s Chairs recruited for the significance of their impacts in their fields. UT-ORII’s overall goal is to become a center for convergent research and talent development, helping maintain US prominence as a global innovation leader and providing tangible benefits to Tennessee.

More About Oak Ridge National Laboratory:

Since its establishment in 1943, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been delivering scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs needed to realize solutions in energy and national security and provide economic benefit to the nation. More than 6,000 employees representing 60+ nations apply unique facilities, sophisticated tools, and signature strengths in neutron science, high-performance computing, advanced materials, biology and environmental science, clean energy, fission and fusion science and engineering, isotopes, and national security research to benefit science and society. In addition, ORNL’s wide range of partnerships with other US Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories and programs, universities, and industry have enabled outstanding contributions to science. Over the years, ORNL researchers have received Nobel Prizes, contributed to the discovery of elements, received hundreds of R&D 100 Awards, and more. 

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in an Engineering or Science discipline
• Experience in battery-related science and/or engineering
• Experience in computation and modeling of electrochemical interfaces and processes; or development of novel materials and processes for electrochemical energy storage, testing, and electrochemical characterization
• Energy storage experience focused on any combination of conventional batteries, approaches beyond lithium-ion batteries or redox flow batteries, such as work focused on components of such devices

Preferred Qualifications:

• Skills that complement research activities at UTK and ORNL and within the EESRF team and energy storage groups at ORNL. For example, candidates that have some expertise in multiscale computational modeling, or who combine battery component materials with expertise in spectroscopy, neutron scattering, material (polymer, inorganic material) synthesis, materials processing and so on are of particular interest
• Strong communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative team environment
• A clear path to independence as a researcher is desired though an ‘on-ramp’ through collaboration with other investigators and collaborators
• A commitment to mentoring early career investigators; demonstrated experience is a plus

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This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.