Postdoctoral Research Associate - Ames National Laboratory

Position Title:

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Ames National Laboratory

Appointment Type:

Post Doc/Trainee

Job Description:

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:

Would you like to work for a National Laboratory that conducts world-renowned research? Would you enjoy working on a beautiful university campus? Can you imagine yourself in a mid-sized location that regularly ranks as one of the U.S. Best Places to Live? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider a career with Ames National Laboratory!

Ames National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy federally contracted National Laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, on the campus of Iowa State University. We are dedicated to translating foundational science through applied research to create technological innovations. We create materials, inspire minds to solve problems, and address some of the most challenging issues facing our world today. We promote and believe in a culture of civility and shared ownership in support of the Laboratory's collective success.

The Division of Critical Materials at Ames National Laboratory is seeking multiple Postdoctoral Research Associates to conduct cutting-edge research on critical materials challenges.

The selected candidates will engage in innovative research in one or more of the following areas:

• Hard Magnetic Materials: magnetic and mechanical property development of rare-earth-based (NdFeB, SmCo) and "gap" magnets containing non-critical rare earth elements or no rare earth element at all (MnBi, MnAl, and Ferrite).
• Soft Magnetic Materials: magnetic and mechanical development of next-generation soft magnetic materials.
• Complex Alloy Systems: mechanical property development of multi-principal element (MPEA) and complex concentrated alloys (CCA)

Responsibilities include design, discovery, synthesis, processing, and characterization of materials utilizing Ames National Laboratory’s state-of-the-art facilities. As part of a DOE Innovation Hub, candidates will collaborate with principal investigators, scientists at Ames National Laboratory, and external partners from other national laboratories, universities, and industry. While working in the Division of Critical Materials, postdoctoral researchers will gain valuable experience and contribute to providing solutions for the nation’s critical materials challenges.

Successful candidates must demonstrate strong technical expertise, self-motivation, and critical thinking skills to drive research forward. Additional duties include writing reports, publishing and presenting results, and mentoring students. Effective communication skills and the ability to work in a cross-disciplinary, collaborative research environment are essential for the positions.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in experimental Material Science, Condensed Matter Physics, Chemistry or closely related disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with powder metallurgical and wet chemistry synthesis processes.
• Experience with alloy development, melting and casting processes.
• Demonstrated capability to produce melt-spun ribbons
• Experience with development, synthesis & characterization of sintered and bonded permanent magnets.
• Experience with development and characterization of other magnetic materials.
• Experience working with rare earth elements.
• Experience processing materials in an inert atmosphere.
• Experience with use of materials characterization tools such as VSM, SQUID magnetometer, SEM, XRD, XRF, TGA, DSC, etc.

Department Unit/Website:

www.ameslab.gov 

Proposed Start Date:

June 1, 2026

Proposed End Date or Length of Term:

May 31, 2027

Number of Months Employed Per Year:

12 Month Work Period

Time Type:

Full time

Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:

1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae
2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter

3) List of Professional References

If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.

Why Choose ISU?

Iowa State Postdocs enjoy comprehensive