Postdoctoral Researcher – Battery Materials & Electrochemical Energy Storage

The Materials Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher – Battery Materials & Electrochemical Energy Storage to join the Helms group working at the interface of materials chemistry and electrochemical energy storage. The successful candidate will lead efforts spanning battery materials processing, electrode and cell fabrication, and full electrochemical cell assembly and testing, with a focus on characterizing how electrode, electrolyte, and interfacial structures evolve during cycling and aging.

Responsibilities include synthesizing and processing active materials and composite electrodes, optimizing formulation and manufacturing protocols, conducting galvanostatic cycling and other electrochemical testing, and applying structural and interfacial characterization techniques (e.g., X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) — including at synchrotron and other user facilities — to correlate processing conditions and interfacial chemistry with performance and degradation mechanisms. The candidate will work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team spanning chemistry, materials science, and engineering, and will have opportunities to mentor students and contribute to proposal and manuscript preparation.

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• Fabricate electrodes and assemble electrochemical cells (coin, pouch, and/or custom cell formats) under controlled (e.g., glovebox/dry room) conditions.
• Synthesize and process battery active materials (e.g., electrode composites, solid-state or liquid electrolytes) using established and novel synthetic/processing routes.
• Conduct electrochemical testing and characterization, including galvanostatic cycling, rate testing, impedance spectroscopy, and related protocols.
• Perform structural and interfacial characterization of pristine and cycled materials using techniques such as X-ray diffraction/scattering, electron microscopy, and spectroscopic methods.
• Systematically organize, preserve, and archive raw and processed characterization data in compliance with LBNL open science and data management policies.
• Plan and execute experiments at synchrotron or other user facilities, including beamtime proposal writing and on-site data collection.
• Analyze and interpret data to correlate processing conditions, structural/interfacial evolution, and cell performance/degradation mechanisms.
• Maintain accurate records of experimental procedures, protocols, and results (electronic lab notebooks, data management practices).
• Prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication and present findings at group meetings, seminars, and scientific conferences.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of chemists, materials scientists, and engineers on shared research goals.
• Maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment relevant to materials processing and electrochemical testing.
• Adhere to all laboratory safety protocols, particularly those relevant to air/moisture-sensitive materials and battery hazards.
• Mentor and train graduate students, undergraduate researchers, or visiting scientists on techniques and protocols.
• Assist in drafting sections of grant proposals or progress reports.
• Contribute to outreach activities, seminars, or educational/public engagement events.
• Support general laboratory management tasks (ordering supplies, equipment calibration schedules, inventory tracking).
• Participate in journal clubs, or working groups.
• Assist with onboarding of new lab members or maintenance of shared lab documentation/SOPs.

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related field, completed within the last few years.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience synthesizing and/or processing battery materials (electrodes, electrolytes, or related composites).
• Practical experience assembling and testing electrochemical cells (e.g., coin cells) under…