Postdoctoral Research Associate - Reaction Kinetics of Energetic Species

Brookhaven National Laboratory • Ridge, NY

32d • Onsite

About The Position

Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at BNL | Benefits Program The Chemistry Division is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate in the EPIP group. The successful candidate will use a combination of electron pulse radiolysis, gamma radiolysis, and/or laser flash photolysis to gain a fundamental mechanistic understanding of the radiation chemistry of organic solvents, including the development of new radical scavengers for the conversion of radiolytic solvent radicals into secondary reductants/oxidants or unreactive species. Exploiting the knowledge gained from the above mentioned studies, the research will also involve the use of pulse radiolysis as a tool for the characterization of transient intermediates involved in energy-related catalytic processes in organic solvents, e.g., CO2 reduction and other chemical transformations, and the radiolysis of non-aqueous media that are used in energy applications, e.g., ionic liquids and alkyl carbonates. The position will make heavy use of the unique time-resolved mid-infrared (TRIR) detection capabilities at ACER in this work. This position is funded for the 2-year term.

Requirements

• PhD in Chemistry, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the field of photochemistry/catalysis, electrochemistry/catalysis, or spectroscopy.
• Use of pulse radiolysis, optical transient absorption, time-resolved infrared, or related spectroscopic methods.
• Experience with basic synthetic methods, electrochemistry, and sample preparation under inert conditions.
• Kinetic modeling, thermodynamics, electron transfer.

Responsibilities

• Plan and carry out research in radiation-induced reaction kinetics and mechanisms, including pulse radiolysis experiments on ACER’s accelerator facilities.
• Data analysis (e.g., fitting transient absorption data, making plots of spectra).
• Manuscript preparation and presentation of results at national and international meetings.

What This Job Offers

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