Postdoc: Bio-Derived Chelators for Metal Separation

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Postdoctoral leave

Retirement plan

Job summary

The Helms group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Joint BioEnergy Institute seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to advance bio-derived chelators and functional polymer sorbents for critical mineral recovery. The role blends organic/inorganic chemistry with materials science and separations, offering opportunities for independent research, collaboration, publications, and mentoring.

Responsibilities include designing and synthesizing chelators, studying metal binding, developing separation

Qualifications

• PhD in Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to design, synthesize, and characterize organic molecules using established synthetic techniques.
• Experience with ligand design and metal-ligand coordination chemistry; familiarity with metal-binding functionality; strong analytical background.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesis of new chelators and chelator-functionalized polymers or sorbents.
• Establish structure-binding-selectivity relationships for metal ions under process-relevant conditions.
• Develop ion separation processes and evaluate recovery, purity, and cycle life.
• Characterize chelators and media using NMR, MS, UV-Vis/fluorescence, ITC and ICP-MS/OES.
• Maintain safety culture and detailed records; publish and present findings; mentor junior researchers.

Skills

Collaborative research

Written and verbal communication

Mentoring

Education

PhD in Organic/Inorganic Chemistry or Chemical Engineering

Tools

NMR

MS

UV-Vis

ITC

ICP-MS/OES

HPLC/LC-MS

Job description

The Helms group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Joint BioEnergy Institute seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to advance bio-derived chelators and functional polymer sorbents for critical mineral recovery. The role blends organic/inorganic chemistry with materials science and separations, offering opportunities for independent research, collaboration, publications, and mentoring.

Responsibilities include designing and synthesizing chelators, studying metal binding, developing separation