Postdoctoral Appointee - Chemical Dynamics, Onsite

Job Details

• Location:
  
  Livermore, CA
• Full/Part Time:
  Full-Time
• Regular/Temporary:
  Temporary

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting‑edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co‑workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten‑hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part‑time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World‑changing technologies. Life‑changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

* These benefits vary by job classification.

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to work with Dr. David Chandler at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore California for studying chemical dynamics of reactivity both in the gas phase and on photo‑catalytic surfaces.

You will:

Study quantum‑state selected and detected vibrational energy transfer from ultra‑low collision energies occurring in a single molecular beam to crossed molecular beam studies. On surfaces, the reaction of photolytic water cracking and ammonia formation on photoreactive surfaces will be studied with a newly built apparatus that measures the position and velocity of molecules coming from a reactive surface with micron resolution.

Both of these studies utilize state‑of the art velocity and spatial mapping of reactant products.

The postdoc will be expected to present results at national and international conferences and to publish in high‑profile peer‑reviewed journals.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

• PhD in chemistry, physics or closely related field
• Experience with laser diagnostics
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, as evidenced by publications in peer‑reviewed journals and/or presentations at scientific conferences

• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to work effectively within a research team
• Experience with laser spectroscopy, molecular beams, velocity mapped imaging, and computer programming.
• Ability to address complex problems creatively, and to work effectively both independently and in collaboration with other researchers.

The Gas‑Phase Chemical Physics Department is part of Sandia's Combustion Research Facility (CRF) in Livermore, California, where over 100 scientists, engineers, and technologists conduct basic and applied research to improve our nation's ability to use and control chemical processes efficiently and cleanly. Under the principal sponsorship of the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the Gas‑Phase Chemical Physics Department conducts fundamental experimental, theoretical, and modeling research to develop a foundational understanding of the key chemical processes that underlie the complex mechanisms of chemical transformations.

Research areas include chemical dynamics, ultrafast chemical physics, theoretical and experimental chemical kinetics, and gas‑phase and particulate diagnostics development and deployment.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days,…