Group Leader - Geochemistry

Group Leader, Geochemistry

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments referred 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.

The Physical Sciences Division seeks a Group Leader (GL) for the Geochemistry group, a diverse, multi-disciplinary basic and applied research group of ~30 staff members and postdoctoral research associates. The group focuses on laboratory experiments and theory/simulation of geochemical reactions at mineral/water interfaces, using synthetic model minerals or well characterized natural materials to isolate molecular-scale mechanisms of adsorption, crystal growth, dissolution, aggregation, and electron transfer.

Multidisciplinary expertise spans environmental chemistry, mineralogy, aqueous wet chemistry, thermodynamics of minerals and aqueous solutions, reaction kinetics, lab and synchrotron-based X-ray scattering and spectroscopy, ultrafast spectroscopies, molecular simulation, physical chemistry, and condensed matter physics. Group members regularly collaborate with each other and colleagues in other organizations for widespread impact. We seek outstanding candidates to lead and support this dynamic group, and directly contribute to its research direction.

In particular, the primary function of the Group Leader is to provide highly effective mentorship, advocacy, and opportunities that support staff career development. The ideal candidate also leads by example through successful self-supporting research and development aligned with the group direction to which staff can contribute.

Your responsibilities will be split nearly evenly between managerial duties (45%) and contributions to peer-reviewed research (55%). In the managerial role, you will provide leadership to the group and Division that will advance geochemistry broadly  will also provide excellent management of a productive and influential research organization and elevate the efficiency and impact of the group.

Ensuring ongoing research programs in the group are productive and impactful is crucial. Maintaining effective operations including the management of overhead budgets to achieve operational targets is a key part of the role. We value mentoring and staff development. The ideal candidate will embrace facilitating proposal writing and identifying research opportunities for staff.

Scientific expectations include leading and contributing to fundamental peer-reviewed materials research. Active collaborations with research staff across Group and Division organizations in the Physical and Computational Science Directorate and across the Lab are encouraged. We will expect you to quickly establish yourself as an independent principal investigator (PI) through collaborative proposal success.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 11+ years of relevant experience
  -OR-
• MS/MA degree and 9+ years of relevant experience
  -OR-
• PhD with 7+ year of relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in Geochemistry, Geology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• A strong record of scientific accomplishments in an area related to geochemical research, including a significant and strong publication history and a history of attracting funding/grants.
• Project/program/line management experience.
• Proven track record of strong leadership skills, scientific talent, team-building and motivational skills, and strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience in operating laboratory facilities.
• Prior experience with the DOE and other government agencies.