Postdoctoral Research Associate - Advanced Separation and Purification

Requisition Id 14065 

­­Overview:  

We are seeking a post-doctoral research associate who will focus on membrane and sorbent materials and processes for advanced separations and purification applications. This position resides in the Soft Materials and Membranes Group in the Chemical Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD), at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  

As part of our team, you will work on developing energy efficient and cost-effective materials and processes for clean energy applications. The successful candidate will focus on problems related to the separation and recovery of critical materials from a wide variety of electronic wastes, carbon capture and separation, and separation of sustainable aviation fuel precursors. Selected candidate will be responsible for developing new and exciting ideas, building collaboration within and outside ORNL, and executing the project from idea stage to eventually generating quantifiable outcomes such as publications and invention disclosures. 

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Work with a team of scientists seeking to advance the separation science and technology for clean energy applications
• Work with the Separation Technologies team to support a broad range of program development opportunities in the field of separation and purification involving critical materials (lanthanides, and battery materials), bioenergy technologies, carbon capture, and desalination to demonstrate the potential for clean energy technology development and commercialization.
• Participate and collaborate with other researchers in the development of new research directions and proposals for funding.
• Present and report research results and publish scientific results in peer-reviewed journals in a timely manner.
• Ensure compliance with environment, safety, health and quality program requirements.
• Maintain strong dedication to the implementation and perpetuation of values and ethics.
• Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

Basic Qualifications:

• A PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, environmental science and engineering, materials science and engineering or a related field completed within the last 5 years.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A solid foundation in the science of separation and purification processes, materials chemistry and engineering.
• Hands-on experience in using materials for separations including design, synthesis, fabrication, characterization and performance analysis.
• Research experience in membrane and sorbent-based separation and purification.
• Process research and development experience in one or more separation processes such as filtration, solvent extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, solid-liquid separations, membrane contactors, adsorption, and packed column system.
• Research experience in clean energy materials such as lanthanides, battery materials with primary focus on separation, recovery and recycling.
• Research experience in carbon capture technologies.
• Research experience in bioenergy separation technologies.
• Excellent record of productive and creative research as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory.
• Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever changing needs.

Special Requirements:

Applicants cannot have received their Ph.D. more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment. The appointment length will be for up to 24 months with the potential for extension. Initial appointments and extensions are subject to performance and the availability of funding.

Reference Letters:

Please submit three letters of reference when applying to this position. You can upload these directly to your application or have them sent to postdocrecruitment@ornl.gov with the position title and number referenced in the subject line.

Instructions to upload documents to your candidate profile:

• Login to your account via jobs.ornl.gov
• View Profile
• Under the My Documents section, select Add a Document

Benefits at ORNL: 

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain talented people. The laboratory offers many employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to help you and your family live happy and healthy. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also provided for convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email: ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

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.

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.