Job Description

Posting Title

Postdoctoral Researcher – Liquid Extraction for Plastics Chemical Recycling

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Postdoc (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

40

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Working at NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and JOB IS FROM: postdocjobs.oneVIEWsee how NREL is focused on saving the planet.

Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.

Job Description

The Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center at NREL has an opening for a full time Postdoctoral Researcher within the bio-separations group. Our group is conducting research to enable realistic, cost-effective processes for biomass conversion and chemical recycling of waste plastics. The initial appointment is for one year, with possible renewal up to three years.

This position focuses on the design of innovative, cost-effective separations processes in the area of plastics chemical recycling. Specifically, the position has three main objectives that stem from our recent work published by Sullivan, Werner, Ramirez, Ellis et al. in 2022. The successful candidate will develop liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) methods for the recovery of monomers from depolymerized plastic streams, enable these methods in continuous mode operation, and recover preparative quantities of monomers from the process streams. Other separations approaches will be developed for recovery of homogeneous catalysts and solvents.

Literature : Candidates are encouraged to read the following relevant publication from our group: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo4626 

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Work safely and independently in a laboratory setting
• Plan and execute research in collaboration with other researchers
• Communicate scientific results effectively, both in written and oral formats
• Author peer-reviewed publications
• Work effectively in a large, multidisciplinary team of engineers and chemists.

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Basic Qualifications

Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a closely related field with an emphasis on separations processes and engineering. Completed within the past 3 years.
• Expertise and experience in designing, operating, and scaling novel separations processes, especially LLE
• Troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Strong record of quality peer-reviewed publications
• Strong safety record and ability to follow complex standard operating procedures

Preferred Qualifications

•    Familiarity with LLE solvent selection and design
•    Experience in solvent recovery through distillation.
•    Experience in reactive separations.
•    Experience in process modeling

 

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Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $73,200 - $120,800

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short-term disability insurance*; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; and paid holidays. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Drug Free Workplace

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

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EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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