Research Associate in materials Science and Engineering

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

43d•Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to facilitate sponsored research programs in areas such as design and synthesis of multi-principal element alloys, high-fidelity corrosion studies in harsh environments, investigation of corrosion mitigation strategies for high-strength materials, and investigation of hydrogen interactions in high-strength materials. The successful candidate will conduct studies on multiple projects simultaneously, possess extensive technical skills in experimental electrochemical techniques and characterization methods, and be proficient in relevant software. Responsibilities include writing proposals for sponsored research, providing progress reports, and mentoring junior researchers.

Requirements

Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering or a closely related field with a thesis dissertation emphasizing corrosion and metallurgy.
Extensive technical skills and experience with various experimental electrochemical techniques, including AC and DC electrochemistry, such as cyclic polarization, LSV, EIS, SVET, SKP, SDC, and SECM.
Familiarity with characterization methods, such as SEM/EDS, XRD, EBSD, XPS, ICP-OES, optical profilometry, and Raman.
Proficiency in software such as Medusa, CALPHAD, and OLI.
Ability to analyze and interpret metallurgy, corrosion, and corrosion electrochemistry data.
Evidence of prior success in the form of archival publications on these or related topics.
Prior experience with salt preparation and MS reference electrodes.
Prior experience with in-situ and post-test material analysis methods, such as SEM and XRD.

Nice To Haves

Prior research experience at a research university.
Evidence of success on three or more past projects.
Good written and oral English language skills to interact with various sponsors.
Attention to detail.
Good record keeping.
Strong analytical skills.
Previous experience mentoring junior researchers (undergraduate and graduate students).

Responsibilities

Design, synthesize, and heat treat multi-principal element alloys.
Utilize Python, CALPHAD, and ML methods for high-throughput analysis.
Design alloys, synthesize, and verify structure and composition by multiple methods.
Conduct ML studies on down-selected alloys to identify compositions with desired properties, including corrosion.
Work with materials experts to obtain corrosion electrochemical properties by conducting LSV, EIS, Passivation, and XPS.
Partner and collaborate with materials experts to conduct CSRO and TTO-C analysis on solid solution alloys.
Perform and analyze high-fidelity corrosion studies on select alloys in molten salts or other harsh environments.
Investigate the protection of high-value, lightweight, high-strength substrates susceptible to local corrosion.
Investigate the protection afforded by mitigation strategies over long exposure times using ALT.
Investigate corrosion mitigation strategies targeted at complex, high-strength, low-weight alloys.
Investigate hydrogen interactions in high-strength materials introduced electrochemically.
Conduct experiments to assess hydrogen content and diffusion coefficients.
Conduct diagnostic experiments to determine whether permeation is surface- or bulk-controlled.
Extend controlled potential and current experiments to studies of protective coatings.
Conduct studies on multiple projects simultaneously.
Write proposals for sponsored research.
Provide oral and written progress reports for sponsors.
Mentor graduate students and supervise undergraduate researchers.