Visiting Student – MSD – Kaplan, Ainsley – 8.4.26

Argonne National Laboratory • Lemont, IL

23h • Onsite

About The Position

This visiting graduate student position will support a collaborative research project focused on investigating the nanoscale dynamics and thermo-mechanical behavior of dynamic epoxy covalent adaptable networks (CANs) embedded with functional nanoparticles. The student will lead efforts to synthesize nanoparticle-filled dynamic epoxies, including coating ferric oxide Curie nanoparticles with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) to enable crosslinking into a disulfide-containing polymer matrix.

Requirements

• The entirety of the appointment must be conducted within the United States.
• Must be 18 years or older at the time the appointment begins.
• Currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate studies at an accredited institution.
• Graduated from an accredited institution within the past 3 months; or
• Actively enrolled in a graduate program at an accredited institution.
• Enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Materials Science and Engineering (or a closely related discipline) with an excellent academic track record.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in the synthesis, chemical modification, scaling, and processing of polymer resins, specifically epoxy thermosets containing dynamic covalent bonds (e.g., disulfides).
• Proficient in structural and chemical characterization tools such as NMR, FTIR, and X-ray diffraction (XRD).
• Solid understanding and practical experience in macroscale mechanical characterization, including uniaxial tensile testing and flexural fatigue setups.
• Familiarity with the functionalization of inorganic nanoparticles (e.g., magnetic or ferric oxide fillers) and evaluating interfacial phenomena in polymer nanocomposites.
• Experience managing laboratory safety protocols or serving as a safety designate within an academic research environment.

Responsibilities

• Developing and characterizing thin-film polymer systems utilizing the high-pressure Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) environment under supercritical CO2 to prevent dewetting and achieve consistent film thickness.
• Conducting advanced X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS) experiments at Beamline sector 8-ID to track local relaxation dynamics, network topology, and nanoscale heterogeneity under large external tensile or compressive stresses.
• Designing and building an in-situ experimental apparatus to evaluate mechanical responses coupled with self-limiting inductive heating generated by embedded superparamagnetic nanoparticles.

What This Job Offers

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