Postdoctoral Researcher – Methane to Acetic Acid Project

About the role

The Rachita Rana and John Flake Labs at LSU, in partnership with the Christopher Arges Lab at Argonne National Laboratory, seek a motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate for a two‑year appointment. The project focuses on converting methane to acetic acid using integrated electrocatalysis, reactor design, and advanced spectroscopy.

Key responsibilities

• Design and execute electrocatalytic experiments for CO/CO₂ reduction.
• Integrate unit operations such as methane reformer, hydrogen pump, and CO/CO₂ electrolyzer.
• Develop porous solid electrolytes for reactor‑separator systems.
• Lead operando/in‑situ spectroscopy studies (XANES/EXAFS, IR/DRIFTS, ATR‑IR, Raman).
• Plan and conduct synchrotron experiments at CAMD and APS.
• Analyze XAS data, fit EXAFS, and model reaction kinetics.
• Collaborate with ANL and LSU teams and contribute to publications and conference presentations.

Required profile

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• Experience with synchrotron‑based X‑ray techniques, especially XAS.
• Background in electrocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, or electrochemical systems.
• Proficiency in operando or in‑situ IR and Raman spectroscopy.
• Strong data analysis and interpretation abilities.

Required skills

• Electrocatalysis
• Electrochemical engineering
• Operando spectroscopy
• X‑ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES/EXAFS)
• Infrared spectroscopy (IR/DRIFTS, ATR‑IR)
• Raman spectroscopy
• Synchrotron experiment planning
• Porous solid electrolytes
• Reactor design
• Data analysis (GC, MS, HPLC, IC)