Post Doctorate Research Associate - Chemical Physics in Experimental X-Ray Scattering

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Integrated Discovery Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate (IDSD) leads fundamental research across biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, mathematics, autonomy, and DOE national user facilities. Our vision is to accelerate scientific discovery by observing, understanding, simulating, predicting, and controlling dynamic biotic-abiotic processes and interactions within complex biological, chemical, material, and Earth systems. We intentionally connect disciplines to advance fundamental discovery science, develop transformative scientific capabilities, and address the nation's most important challenges in energy, environmental resilience, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, health, and national security.

Contribute to PNNL’s goals as part of the Lab’s Physical Sciences Division (PSD). Through fundamental research supported by DOE Basic Energy Sciences, we seek to understand the fundamental interactions, reactivity, and dynamics of ions in solutions, that are relevant for a multitude of energy and biological processes. The proposed research effort focuses on developing and utilizing advanced X‑ray scattering methods, in particular X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS), to probe with atomic scale resolution the equilibrium and non‑equilibrium atomic structure of complex ionic solutions and solvated molecular complexes.

These experiments will be strongly coupled with state‑of‑the‑art theoretical efforts for the interpretation and modelling of the data.

As a postdoctoral researcher based in the experimental Physical Chemistry group, you will investigate challenging molecular‑scale science questions, including ion‑solvent and ion‑ion interactions and dynamics, the mechanisms of charge and proton transfer in molecules, and the spontaneous collective fluctuations that drive chemical reactivity in liquids. You will conduct split‑pulse XPCS and related experiments using the LCLS X‑ray Free Electron laser (XFEL) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and related XFELs and synchrotron facilities around the world.

You will be mentored and collaborate with other senior investigators in a multi‑institutional team, including researchers at PNNL, and SLAC. This position is based at SLAC (Menlo Park, CA).

What you will do:

• Propose, lead, and participate in X‑ray experiments at large‑scale X‑ray light source facilities to investigate the structure and dynamics of ionic solutions.
• Perform extensive analysis of complex datasets, including learning and developing the computational tools and analysis codes necessary to extract structural and dynamical information from X‑ray scattering experiments.
• Interpret experimental data through comparison with state‑of‑the‑art theoretical calculations, in close collaboration with members of the theory team.
• Work independently, take initiative, and contribute effectively to collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects.
• Prepare and publish manuscripts in peer‑reviewed scientific journals.
• Become an integral member of PNNL and SLAC fundamental chemical physics research teams, taking advantage of world‑class expertise and capabilities to…