Research Scientist; Polymer Synthesis, term

Join to apply for the Staff Research Scientist (Polymer Synthesis, term 2-year) role at University of Toronto

Join to apply for the Staff Research Scientist (Polymer Synthesis, term 2-year) role at University of Toronto

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Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science

Department: Acceleration Consortium

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (U of T) is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization. The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs).

These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy and consumer electronics to drugs. AC Staff Research Scientists will advance the field of AI-driven autonomous discovery and develop the materials and molecules required to address society’s largest challenges, such as climate change, water pollution, and future pandemics.

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) promotes an inclusive research environment and supports the EDI priorities of the unit.

Hiring is occurring on a rolling intake. Please apply ASAP and do not wait for the listed job closing date.

The Acceleration Consortium received a $200M Canadian First Research Excellence Grant for seven years to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University. This grant will provide the Acceleration Consortium with seven years of funding to execute its vision

The AC is developing seven advanced SDLs plus an AI and Automation lab:

• SDL1 - Inorganic solid-state compounds for advanced materials and energy
• SDL2 - Organic small molecules for sustainability and health
• SDL3 - Medicinal chemistry for improving small molecule drug candidates
• SDL4 - Polymers for materials science and biological applications
• SDL5 - Formulations for pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and coatings
• SDL6 - Biocompatibility with organoids / organ-on-a-chip
• SDL7 - Synthetic scale-up of materials and molecules (University of British Colombia partner lab)
• A central AI and Automation lab to support all the SDLs

This posted position is for a role with SDL4 (Polymers)

Expertise that is desired:
Polymer synthesis

• Synthesis and purification of polymers
• Combinatorial synthesis of sequence-defined polymers such as biopolymers

Additional expertise that is desired (but not required):
Automation

• Robotics and automation
• Machine learning to accelerate the discovery of molecules and materials
• Experimental planning and design/optimization
• Programming and high-performance computing

Additional expertise that is desired (but not required):
Automation

• Developing polymer blends or composites for 3D printing, concrete, packaging or textiles
• Bioengineering applications using biologically relevant materials such as peptides, peptoids, chitosan or lignan

Staff Scientists will work with a diverse team of leading experts at U of T, including:
Prof. Helen Tran, Prof. Dwight Seferos, and Acceleration Consortium Staff Scientists.

We are hiring both Staff Scientists and Staff Research Scientists. While Staff Scientists are expected to have 5 or more years of post-PhD experience, individuals with a relevant Ph.D. and associated expertise can qualify for Staff Research Scientist.

The Staff Research Scientists involved in the AC are highly skilled and experienced researchers who will work independently to develop the AI and automation technologies required to build robust and scalable self-driving labs, manage these SDLs, and design and implement research programs (based on the direction of the AC’s scientific leadership team) that leverage the SDL platforms to discover materials and molecules.

Mo…