Materials Scientist 2

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

About The Position

PNNL’s Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate conducts fundamental research across biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, mathematics, autonomy, and DOE national user facilities. Its mission is to accelerate scientific discovery and address challenges in energy, environmental resilience, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, health, and national security. The Materials Scientist will conduct fundamental research on the synthesis, characterization, and performance of metal and metal oxide thin films using ultra-high-vacuum thin-film deposition tools. The role involves developing and executing experimental plans, analyzing and interpreting data, and disseminating findings through journal publications. The scientist will collaborate closely with microscopists and computational materials scientists to develop novel materials and relate experimental findings to theoretical predictions. The work contributes to DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences mission goals. The position also leads the design, procurement, commissioning, upgrading, and maintenance of UHV deposition and characterization instrumentation, coordinating routine and unplanned maintenance with support staff. The scientist leads manuscript writing and contributes to proposal development, and presents research findings at technical conferences and project review meetings. PNNL describes its research environment as collaborative and offers benefits including health insurance and flexible work schedules. The position’s listed annual pay range is USD $100,100 to $150,200.

Requirements

BS/BA and 2 years of relevant experience, or an MS/MA, or a PhD.
Hands-on experience with pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and/or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team of scientists and technical staff and demonstrate initiative to complete project tasks and deliverables on time.
Responsibilities include preparing first drafts of peer-reviewed journal manuscripts and delivering technical presentations at scientific conferences.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. in chemistry, materials science, physics, chemical engineering, or a related field.
Experience using CO2 lasers for substrate heating.
Strong expertise and practical experience in epitaxial thin-film synthesis and characterization, particularly for metals and metal oxides, supported by a solid publication record.
Familiarity with thin-film characterization techniques such as XRD, AFM, TEM, and ellipsometry.
Prior research experience studying electronic, optical, catalytic, and ion-transport properties of precisely designed heteroepitaxial thin films and devices.
In-depth knowledge of and hands-on experience with synchrotron-based techniques; willingness to travel up to 10% of the time to synchrotron facilities.
Strong understanding of thermodynamics, kinetics, statistical mechanics, and data science principles.

Responsibilities

Pursue fundamental research on the synthesis, characterization, and performance of metal and metal oxide thin films using ultra-high-vacuum-based deposition tools.
Develop and execute experimental plans; analyze and interpret data for dissemination in journal publications.
Collaborate with microscopists and computational materials scientists to develop novel materials and correlate findings with theoretical predictions.
Design and develop synthesis and characterization approaches for functional metal and metal oxide thin-film materials using state-of-the-art deposition techniques.
Lead the design, procurement, commissioning, upgrade, and maintenance of UHV deposition and characterization instrumentation.
Coordinate with support staff on routine preventive and unplanned maintenance of UHV deposition and characterization instrumentation.
Lead manuscript writing for peer-reviewed journals and lead or support proposal development.
Present research findings at technical conferences and project review meetings.