Research Scientist II

Michigan Technological University•Houghton, MI

2d•$75,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) at Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) aims to advance freshwater and coastal ocean research as a foundation for health, economic prosperity and global sustainability through interdisciplinary research cutting across Michigan Tech’s academic programs. The GLRC institute includes collaborative faculty from twelve disciplines within the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, Sciences and Arts, Business, and Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences. The GLRC seeks a Research Scientist II or III to support and grow research on fuel and energy systems, chemicals, as well as characterization and analysis of plastics. Activities will include oversight of Dr. Landis’s Plastics Analytics Lab, life cycle assessment, and technoeconomic analysis. The Research Scientist will be involved in many current and upcoming research projects and would also be expected to lead new projects in collaboration with Dr. Landis and other GLRC faculty. Current research projects include development of stakeholder engagement and life cycle assessments of hydrogen systems; material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle analysis (LCA) and technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of polymers and resins; characterization and analysis of micro and macro plastics in freshwater and coastal ocean environments.

Requirements

Ph.D. in engineering, chemistry, ecology, or similar related field
U.S. citizen or permanent resident with ability to obtain and maintain necessary government clearances and access
Experience with life cycle analysis (LCA)
Experience in a laboratory environment
Experience in stakeholder engagement
Record of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications
Experience in one or more of the following programming languages/software: python, R, statistical analysis tools, OpenLCA, or other relevant software
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse partners and represent the organization externally

Nice To Haves

Experience with MFA
Experience with TEA
Experience in field sampling
Experience in plastic separation and characterization methods
Demonstrated leadership, project management, and mentoring experience in a research environment
Successful grant proposal authorship and execution
Graduate-level coursework in one or more programming languages and statistical courses, particularly with environmental or ecological data
Experience in one or more of the following programming languages/software: python, R, statistical analysis tools, OpenLCA, or other relevant software
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse partners and represent the organization externally
Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and viewpoints

Responsibilities

Build MFAs, LCAs, TEAs and analyze results.
Manage Plastics Analytics Lab wet-lab; current lab research activities include digestion of organic matter, separation and characterization of plastics from environmental samples.
Support field-work, including sampling in a variety of environments such as freshwater, oceans, agricultural systems, drinking water, and more.
Contribute technical expertise to sponsored research as both a project lead and team member.
Successfully grow a funded research program, to become self-supporting into the future.
Prepare and deliver reports or presentations of research projects/analysis results for peer-reviewed publication and to project sponsors as appropriate.
Lead and contribute to the generation of proposals and external funding.
Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.
Apply research security knowledge to data, facilities, and personnel.
Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives.