Post Doctorate RA - Experimental Geochemistry

Overview

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 in understanding the complex systems and phenomena vital to the nation's energy and environmental resources as part of the Lab’s Physical Sciences Division (PSD). As a Postdoc Researcher in the Geochemistry group, you will develop and perform benchtop and hydrothermal liquid-rock reactions to study metal ion interaction, incorporation and distribution in natural and synthetic minerals to delineate their dissolution, nucleation, growth, and crystallization—and to use various wet chemical and optical spectroscopy techniques, such as Raman, FTIR, and synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES/EXAFS) with complementary microscopy and elemental analysis (e.g., XRD/SAXS, DLS, SEM/TEM, AFM, ICP).

Your research results will help advancing DOE missions in critical minerals, environmental cleanup, and sustainable materials. If you are ready to test your talents and training in Geochemistry, Environmental Science, Materials, Chemical Engineering, and/or Chemistry and hone your skills as a Postdoc researcher at a national laboratory widely recognized for its work in the physical sciences and environmental science, we want to connect with you.

The ideal person has an interest in advancing measurement approaches and applying them to complex problems. Details are below; you do not need to meet all of the preferred qualifications to be considered.

• Conduct independent research and work on team assignments
• Develop models to interpret hydrothermal liquid-rock reaction data
• Interact, communicate, and problem solve with a diverse team of research staff within the PCSD, EMSL, and across PNNL
• Contribute as a team member to support publications and reports led by other researchers
• Lead manuscript development and maintain a strong overall publication record in the peer-reviewed scientific literature
• Present research at technical conferences and project/program review meetings
• Participate in the development of research proposals

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a PhD within the past five years (60 months) or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

• Strong background in Geochemistry and Material Science
• Skills in wet chemistry; optical spectroscopy; synchrotron-based techniques (EXAFS, SXAS, XRF, etc.) and data fitting

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