Post Doctorate RA - Materials Science
About The Position
The Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) delivers science and technology solutions for national energy and environmental challenges. Within this directorate, the Energy Processes and Materials Division focuses on creating and delivering real-world solutions to support the Department of Energy’s goals for national energy security. This includes developing new technologies in areas such as energy storage, advanced materials manufacturing, applied catalysis, advanced separations, biomass conversions, carbon capture and utilization, and hydrogen production and storage. The division employs a systems perspective, encompassing discovery, technology development, scale-up, and considerations for economic, regulatory, and market acceptance for successful technology commercialization.
Requirements
- Expertise in physical metallurgy, thermo-mechanical processing (e.g., rolling, extrusion, heat treatment) and casting of Al alloys.
- Ability to analyze microstructural data (e.g., optical metallography, SEM, TEM, EBSD, XRD, EDS, APT, etc.) and correlate to mechanical properties in metallic alloys.
- Experience in performing and analyzing data from synchrotron beam-line experiments.
- Hands-on experience with mechanical testing, plotting, and analyzing stress-strain/fatigue data.
- The ability to organize research data in the context of the technical literature into high-quality presentations and publications in high-impact journals.
- Attention to detail in the laboratory.
- Received a PhD within the past five years (60 months) or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.
Nice To Haves
- PhD in metallurgy, materials science and engineering, or related field, preferably with thesis work in physical metallurgy of Al-alloys.
- Expertise in precipitation strengthening of Al alloys.
- Hands-on experience with performing formability tests, understanding of sheet metal formability and forming limit diagrams, and experience in using strain measurement and mapping techniques to quantify sheet metal formability.
- Experience in performing metal (Al) casting, design molds, solidification modeling (e.g. Pro-CAST).
- Experience with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and other thermal analysis techniques.
- Hands-on experience with furnaces and ovens for heat treatment.
- Experience with plasticity modeling.
- Proficiency in data plotting software (e.g. Excel, KaleidaGraph, etc.), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), image processing (Photoshop), and engineering drawing software (e.g., AutoCAD/SolidWorks).
- Experience with writing macros for automating data gathering and plotting is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Develop thermo-mechanical processing and heat-treatment techniques for sheet and cast aluminum alloys to increase ductility and fatigue resistance through microstructure refinement and texture control.
- Perform or assist with processing and mechanical testing, including tension, fatigue, formability, and hardness tests.
- Perform or assist with sample preparation and microstructural analysis using techniques such as optical metallography, SEM, TEM, etc., to track microstructure and texture evolution.
- Prepare and handle test samples.
- Coordinate activities with support staff and project teams.
- Plot and analyze test data.
- Create high-quality reports, journal publications, and presentations.
Benefits
- health insurance
- flexible work schedules
- medical insurance
- dental insurance
- vision insurance
- telehealth care options
- mental health benefits
- wellness coaching
- health savings account
- flexible spending accounts
- basic life insurance
- disability insurance
- employee assistance program
- business travel insurance
- tuition assistance
- relocation
- backup childcare
- legal benefits
- supplemental parental bonding leave
- surrogacy and adoption assistance
- fertility support
- company-funded pension plan
- 401 (k) savings plan with company match
- vacation hours
- paid holidays
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
