Postdoctoral Chemist: Polymers for Sodium-Ion Electrodes

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking a Chemist Postdoctoral Scholar to conduct research at the intersection of polymer chemistry and inorganic electrode materials for sustainable sodium-ion batteries. You will design and synthesize polymers for reversible battery binders and coatings, and fabricate/characterize composite electrodes.

The role requires hands-on polymer synthesis, processing, and electrochemical testing, with emphasis on understanding structure-property relationships

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, or closely related field.
• Hands-on experience in polymer synthesis, functionalization, and characterization.
• Experience with inorganic battery electrode materials and composite electrode fabrication.
• Ability to purify materials and verify purity with analytical techniques.
• Experience with electrochemical testing of batteries.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize functional polymers for reversible battery binders and conductive coatings.
• Synthesize, process, and characterize inorganic electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries.
• Optimize polymer formulations and electrode fabrication to control composition and interfaces.
• Develop reversible electrode architectures and material-recovery strategies.
• Perform electrochemical testing and evaluate battery performance.
• Characterize polymers, electrodes, and interfaces using NMR, FTIR, GPC, DSC/TGA, XRD, SEM.
• Collaborate with experimental and computational researchers to advance circular battery electrode design.

Skills

Polymer chemistry

Materials synthesis

Electrochemical testing

Data analysis

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

PhD in polymer chemistry or related field

Tools

NMR

FTIR

GPC

DSC/TGA

XRD

SEM

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking a Chemist Postdoctoral Scholar to conduct research at the intersection of polymer chemistry and inorganic electrode materials for sustainable sodium-ion batteries. You will design and synthesize polymers for reversible battery binders and coatings, and fabricate/characterize composite electrodes.

The role requires hands-on polymer synthesis, processing, and electrochemical testing, with emphasis on understanding structure-property relationships