Postdoctoral Research Associate - Alternative Fuels

About the role

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work under the direction of the Principal Investigator to design and conduct research on alternative fuels and energy‑innovation technologies. The role focuses on low‑carbon fuel pathways such as hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic and electro‑fuels, sustainable aviation fuel, and fuels derived from biomass, waste plastics, or CO₂.

Key responsibilities

• Develop catalytic and/or electrocatalytic routes and materials for alternative‑fuel production, including synthesis, testing, and kinetic measurement.
• Design, build, and operate bench‑ and laboratory‑scale reactors and energy‑conversion testbeds, evaluating activity, selectivity, stability, and energy efficiency.
• Develop reaction and reactor models and conduct techno‑economic and life‑cycle assessments to guide scalable, low‑carbon fuel pathways.
• Characterize materials and analyze performance data to establish structure‑performance and process‑performance relationships.
• Disseminate results through peer‑reviewed publications, presentations, proposals, and reports, and mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers.

Required profile

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a closely related field.
• Knowledge of catalysis, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and reactor/reaction engineering relevant to fuel synthesis and energy conversion.
• Ability to design and operate catalytic and/or electrocatalytic reactors.
• Ability to synthesize and characterize materials.
• Ability to model and analyze process performance.
• Proficiency in Python or an equivalent programming language.
• Ability to work independently and across disciplines.

Required skills

• Python programming
• Catalysis
• Reaction kinetics
• Thermodynamics
• Reactor engineering
• Material synthesis
• Material characterization
• Process modeling and analysis