Electrocatalytic Systems - Postdoctoral Researcher

Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Are you interested in joining some of the brightest talent in the world to strengthen the United States’ security? Come join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where our employees apply their expertise to create solutions for BIG ideas that make our world a better place.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture that values individuals, talents, partnerships, ideas, experiences, and different perspectives, recognizing their importance to the continued success of the Laboratory’s mission.

Pay Range

$118,884 Annually 

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting.  An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

Job Description

We have an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher to conduct research on the development of efficient catalysts and integrated electrochemical systems for upgrading carbon feedstocks and/or separations of critical materials. You will actively participate in a multidisciplinary team performing materials design, catalyst and system benchmarking, advanced characterization, and modeling and simulations. This position is in the Materials, Energy and Carbon Security group part of the Materials for Emerging Applications & Extreme Conditions section in the Materials Science Division.

This position offers a hybrid schedule, blending in-person and virtual presence. You will have the flexibility to work from home one or more days per week. 

You will

• Conduct research in electrocatalyst design, synthesis, and testing, including characterizing the reaction kinetics, materials physicochemical properties, and performance degradation.

• Develop reactors for benchmarking catalysts and electrochemical systems, and for in situ characterization of the dynamics of materials and local reaction environments.

• Contribute to and actively participate in the conception, design, and execution of experiments to establish design principles for catalysts and scale-up of electrochemical systems.

• Pursue independent but complementary research interests and interact with a broad spectrum of scientists internally and externally to the Laboratory.

• Collaborate with scientists in a multidisciplinary and multi-institution team environment to accomplish research goals.

• Maintain laboratory protocols and best safety practices.

• Document research; publish papers in peer-reviewed journals; and present results within the DOE community, at project team meetings, and at conferences.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Must be eligible to access the Laboratory in compliance with Section 3112 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). See Additional Information section below for details.

• PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.

• Hands-on experience building, validating, and using electrochemistry infrastructure for the development of electrocatalytic systems.

• Experience with electrocatalyst design and establishment of catalyst structure-property relationships.

• Knowledge and experience in one or more key areas: carbon dioxide electrolyzers or related electrochemical technologies, heterogeneous electrocatalysis, electrochemical separations, in situ characterization,  polymer electrolytes.

• Ability as an innovative experimentalist with a broad range of experience in experimental design, techniques, and execution.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute independent research projects as documented through a strong publication record of peer-reviewed literature.

• Proficient verbal and written communication skills to allow effective collaboration in a team environment and present and explain technical information.

• Initiative and interpersonal skills with desire and ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment.

Qualifications We Desire

• Experience with chemistry, materials, and systems relevant to electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion and/or separations of critical materials.

• Experience with conventional analytical techniques (NMR, GC, MS, HPLC, SEM, XPS, XRD, etc.) and synchrotron advanced characterization methods.

• Experience with heterogenized molecular catalysts for electrolysis.