Postdoc: Membrane Chemist for Sustainable Energy Storage

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

PTO

Collaborative environment

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar – Membrane Chemist to advance recyclable polymer membranes for aqueous flow batteries. You will design and synthesize microporous membranes, study ion transport and stability, and develop methods to recover and regenerate materials across multiple cycles.

You will collaborate with DOE-funded partners and publish findings while contributing to national laboratory research.

Qualifications

• PhD awarded within last three years or to be completed before start date.
• Hands-on polymer chemistry: monomer synthesis and purification, step-growth polymerization, and structural characterization (NMR, FTIR, thermal analysis).
• Experience fabricating polymer films or membranes and measuring transport properties (impedance-based conductivity, permeability or crossover, swelling).
• Demonstrated ability to carry a research project from design through publication, evidenced by first-author papers.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multi-institution team; clear written and oral communication.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize microporous polymer membranes to tune free volume and ion transport.
• Fabricate membranes with controlled thickness and swelling; measure ionic conductivity and related properties.
• Develop membrane deconstruction chemistry and recover monomers; re-manufacture membranes across cycles.
• Profile membranes across lifecycle using NMR, FTIR, thermal and mechanical analyses.
• Coordinate with PNNL collaborators on flow-cell validation and data analysis.
• Write manuscripts and invention disclosures; present at program reviews and DOE reporting.

Skills

Polymer synthesis

Membrane fabrication

Ion transport measurement

NMR/FTIR analysis

Independent researcher

Education

Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, or related field

Tools

NMR

FTIR

LC-MS

SAXS/WAXS

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar – Membrane Chemist to advance recyclable polymer membranes for aqueous flow batteries. You will design and synthesize microporous membranes, study ion transport and stability, and develop methods to recover and regenerate materials across multiple cycles.

You will collaborate with DOE-funded partners and publish findings while contributing to national laboratory research.