CIRES​/NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Postdoctoral Associate in Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Requisition Number: 75309

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City:
Boulder

State:
Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date: 22-Oct-2026

Date Posted: 08-Oct-2026

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The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder encourages applications for a Postdoctoral Associate within NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL) in Boulder, Colorado. The successful candidate will work in the Tropospheric Chemistry program alongside a number of federal and university employees engaged in research investigating trace gases and aerosols and their impacts on air quality and climate.

Our group develops and uses world-class instrumentation to measure these species and deploys these instruments on aircraft and at field sites.

The successful candidate for this position will investigate the emissions and atmospheric chemistry of trace gases and their oxidation products, with a particular focus on gas-phase reactive chlorine species, including chloramines (NH2

Cl, NHCl2, NCl3), and their contribution to urban Cl-atom production. The Postdoctoral Associate in this role will retrieve and analyze chloramine and related halogen measurements from recent NOAA CSL ground, mobile laboratory, and aircraft field campaigns (e.g., SUNVEx, AEROMMA, and USOS), develop and apply calibration methods for the iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometer (I-CIMS), and collaborate closely with university partners on the analysis of these data.

The selected candidate will use these data for the development of chemical mechanisms and models, as well as assessment of the air quality and climate impacts of emissions and atmospheric chemical cycles. The selected individual will work with high-resolution, time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometers within the Tropospheric Chemistry instrument suite. Individuals without a mass spectrometry background, but with relevant experimental experience, are strongly encouraged to apply.

CSL has a collaborative lab culture, and we are looking for a candidate who actively subscribes to this philosophy.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

CIRES is an internationally recognized leader in innovative environmental science and research and is located at the University of Colorado Boulder. At CIRES, more than 900 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people's relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth's poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more.

Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system.

The mission of the NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL) is to advance scientific understanding of the chemical and physical processes that affect Earth's atmospheric composition. CSL's vision is a nation that has the needed scientific understanding and information about atmospheric composition to make optimal decisions for the well-being of current and future generations.

• Operate instrumentation to measure atmospheric trace gases using chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Periodic travel for several weeks at a time may be required (15%)
• Analyze and interpret data collected by these instruments. (25%)
• Develop and implement calibration methods for gas-phase chloramines (NH2
  
  Cl, NHCl2, NCl3) and related reactive chlorine species on the I-CIMS, and apply these calibrations to retrieve concentration data from existing SUNVEx, AEROMMA, and USOS field campaign datasets (35%)
• Characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution and sources of gas-phase chloramines and other reactive chlorine species in North American cities and assess their contribution to urban Cl-atom production. (15%)
• Present results at scientific meetings and publish them in peer-reviewed literature. (10%)

• This is a 2-year position with the possibility of extension based on availability of funding.
• This…