Postdoctoral Appointee: Hydrometallurgy

Argonne National Laboratory; Lemont (IL); On-site; USD 73,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, seeks a Postdoctoral Appointee to support development of advanced processes for critical materials recovery. The role focuses on hydrometallurgical processing and collaboration across MERF and external partners.

Requirements include a PhD in a related field, experience with analytical tools, and strong teamwork. On-site presence five days a week is required, with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• PhD completed or near completion in chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science.
• Experience with hydrometallurgical chemistry and materials recovery methods.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and communicate results.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct experiments for hydrometallurgical processing.
• Develop slurry-based processing methods for materials recovery.
• Build and operate recovery systems and analyze transport and reaction behavior.
• Maintain notebooks and contribute to reports, publications, and proposals.

Skills

Hydrometallurgy

Critical materials recovery

Separation science

Wet-chemistry processing

Data analysis

Education

PhD in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering/Materials Science

Tools

XRD

SEM/TEM

FTIR

Raman spectroscopy

Job description

Argonne National Laboratory in the Applied Materials Division (AMD) is seeking a Postdoctoral candidate to support development of advanced processes for critical materials recovery from unconventional sources. The successful candidate will work on continuous hydrometallurgical processing approaches for selective and efficient recovery of critical materials relevant to energy innovation. The postdoctoral researcher will work within a multidisciplinary team at the Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) and collaborate with researchers across Argonne as well as external academic and industry partners.

Responsibilities

Designing and conducting experiments, developing slurry-based processing methods, building and operating materials recovery systems, analyzing material transport and reaction behavior, taking detailed observations, gathering and analyzing data and contributing to technical reports, publications, presentations, and future proposals.

Position Requirements

Recent or soon-to-be-completed PhD (typically completed within the last 0-5 years) in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science or related field. Knowledge and hands-on experience in the following areas: hydrometallurgical chemistry, critical materials recovery, separations science, heating and conversion studies and wet-chemistry processing techniques. Demonstrated ability to conduct both independent and collaborative research in a multidisciplinary environment. Experience with analytical tools such as X-ray diffraction, SEM/TEM, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. Ability to communicate effectively and on a timely basis with the laboratory supervisory personnel on all developments or matters resulting from laboratory work activities. Ability to maintain organized notebooks and project files. Proven ability to be an excellent team player. A high commitment to safety. Ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.

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

Job Family & Details

Job Family: Postdoctoral

Job Profile: Postdoctoral Appointee

Worker Type: Long-Term (Fixed Term)

Time Type: Full time

The expected hiring range for this position is $72,879.00-$121,465.00. 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.

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 is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department. All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.