Postdoctoral Appointee –Experimental Physical Organic Chemist

Location: Lemont, IL USA

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

Argonne National Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Appointee to work in the Advanced Energy Technologies (AET) Directorate. The successful candidate will study chemical upgrading of heavy oils, asphaltenes, resins, and kerogen molecules and contribute to engineering design of upscaled processes. The candidate will be a part of the Applied Materials Division (AMD) within AET at Argonne and will contribute to the Lab’s broader effort in conversion and separation of carbon-based materials. The role will require the individual to work with personnel that perform machine learning and molecular simulations.

The candidate is expected to work as part of a collaborative team of chemists, physicists, and engineers to develop new chemistry for upgrading hydrocarbon streams.  The candidate should be proficient in performing chemical reactions under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions incorporating various approaches including catalytic processes, oxidizing/reducing environments, different gases and supercritical conditions. The ability to assemble new batch and flow processes is a plus.  Furthermore, we will teach the candidate about engineering design of chemical processes; however, experience in scaleup is a plus.

Position Requirements

• Recent or soon-to-be-completed PhD (typically completed within the last 0-5 years) in chemistry and/or closely related discipline.

• Expertise in the study of complex hydrocarbon mixtures, reactions under various conditions including operando studies, and product characterization.

• The ability to work collaboratively with teams and individuals in other divisions, laboratories, and companies.

• Skilled in written and oral communication across all levels of the organization.

• Ability to present research at technical meetings and publish results in peer reviewed journal articles.

• Ability to model Argonne’s core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork.

• This position requires an on-site presence at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois, five days per week.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of kinetics and mechanism of chemical reactions. 

• The ability to conduct high-temperature and high-pressure experimentation in both batch and flow configurations.

• The ability to characterize products using GC-MS, FTIR, Raman, NMR, TGA-DSC, and LC-MS.

• Experience with X-ray absorption and scattering techniques.

• Experience in catalyst design and synthesis.

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Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.

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As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.