Postdoctoral Scientist, Advanced Materials

Sacbar; Livermore (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking a high-caliber postdoctoral appointee to lead synthetic strategy for next-generation materials and device-relevant architectures. You will work across interdisciplinary teams to transition discovery-stage chemistry into scalable technology, driving structure–property optimization and rigorous characterization.

This role emphasizes independent research leadership, translation of milligram-scale hits to scalable systems, and collaboration with engineers and

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or closely related field.
• Hands-on molecular synthesis experience including organic/organometallic/macromolecular synthesis using air-free techniques.
• Proficiency in standard characterization methods (NMR, UV-Vis, FT-IR, MS, thermal analysis).
• Track record of peer‑reviewed publications showing project completion.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, synthesis, and purification of organic/organometallic/polymeric targets; apply advanced synthetic methods.
• Map structure–activity/property trends to guide molecular optimization.
• Utilize analytical tools (NMR, HRMS, UV-Vis, XRD, DSC/TGA, FT-IR) to confirm structure and purity.
• Collaborate with materials scientists and engineers to translate hits into scalable systems.
• Develop standardized experimental protocols, assays, and stability screening workflows.
• Communicate milestones and publish findings at conferences and in journals.

Skills

PhD in Chemistry

Molecular synthesis

Characterization methods

Research publications

Education

PhD

Tools

Air-free techniques

Schlenk/Glovebox

Job description

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking a high-caliber postdoctoral appointee to lead synthetic strategy for next-generation materials and device-relevant architectures. You will work across interdisciplinary teams to transition discovery-stage chemistry into scalable technology, driving structure–property optimization and rigorous characterization.

This role emphasizes independent research leadership, translation of milligram-scale hits to scalable systems, and collaboration with engineers and