Postdoctoral Appointee – Advanced Electrochemical Separations

Argonne National Laboratory • Lemont, IL

4d • $72,879 - $121,465 • Onsite

About The Position

The postdoctoral appointee will be part of a multidisciplinary team developing an innovative electrochemical rotating packed bed reactor platform for energy-efficient separation of elements from complex mixtures. Day-to-day responsibilities will include designing and fabricating electrochemical reactor prototypes, conducting electrodeposition experiments in deep eutectic solvent (DES) media, characterizing mass transfer and selectivity under flow conditions, and screening and tuning DES compositions to optimize solubility, speciation, and electrochemical accessibility for target elements. The candidate will work closely with computational modeling collaborators to validate reactor designs and optimize operating parameters. The candidate will be expected to contribute to report preparation, presentation of results at conferences, and production of peer-reviewed publications.

Requirements

• PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science, or a related field completed in the past five years or soon-to-be completed.
• Knowledge of general principles of electrochemistry, chemical engineering, and chemical technology is required.
• Knowledge of electrodeposition techniques, including potentiostatic/galvanostatic methods, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is required.
• Skill in oral and written presentation of ideas, discussion of technical results, and in the development of technical reports and presentations is required.
• Knowledge of the use of computers to design and control experiments and to analyze and interpret experimental data is required.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multi-institutional research environment is required.
• Ability to model Argonne's Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with non-aqueous electrolyte systems such as deep eutectic solvents, ionic liquids, or molten salts is desired.
• Experience formulating, characterizing, and tuning designer solvent systems (e.g., selecting hydrogen bond donor/acceptor combinations to control metal speciation, solubility, and transport properties) is highly desired.
• Experience with physical property measurement of non-aqueous solvents (viscosity, density, conductivity, electrochemical window) is desired.
• Familiarity with design, fabrication, or prototyping including 3D printing, SolidWorks, or similar CAD tools is a plus.
• Exposure to mass transfer principles in rotating or flow-enhanced electrochemical systems is desired.
• Experience with analytical characterization techniques for deposit analysis is desired.

Responsibilities

• Designing and fabricating electrochemical reactor prototypes
• Conducting electrodeposition experiments in deep eutectic solvent (DES) media
• Characterizing mass transfer and selectivity under flow conditions
• Screening and tuning DES compositions to optimize solubility, speciation, and electrochemical accessibility for target elements
• Working closely with computational modeling collaborators to validate reactor designs and optimize operating parameters
• Contributing to report preparation
• Presenting results at conferences
• Producing peer-reviewed publications

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree