Postdoctoral Appointee

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a postdoctoral appointee to perform advanced electron microscope-based spectroscopic and imaging research and development of hydrogen storage and hydrogen production materials as part of the HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials Consortium (H2 AWSM, h2awsm.org) funded by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. The successful candidate will contribute to progress of understanding the electronic structure, composition, and crystal structure changes that occur during oxidation and reduction of hydrogen generation electrode materials used in low-temperature electrolysis, high-temperature electrolysis, and solar thermochemical production of hydrogen. In particular, the successful candidate will utilize the probe-corrected, monochromated, 300kV FEI Titan Themis Z located at Sandia's California site to perform high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy characterization (EELS) and analysis to understand the electronic structure of material electrodes used for hydrogen generation.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

Lead in situ thermal reduction experiments inside the TEM and ex situ experiments on materials that have been thermochemically or electrochemically cycled Contribute other characterization and analysis methods including but not limited to x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and thermochemical characterization Work in a multidisciplinary environment that will provide opportunities for collaboration with specialists in a wide range of experimental techniques and materials modeling approaches and at different institutions that participate in the HydroGEN consortium Be responsible for conducting rigorous and innovative microscopic analyses, bringing deep materials expertise to the selected problems, and documenting research findings in the form of external, peer-reviewed journal publications

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite at the Sandia Livermore location.

Qualifications We Require:

Ph.D. in materials science, chemistry, physics, materials engineering, or closely related field within the past 5 years A record of scientific research accomplishment, as demonstrated by authorship of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals that appear on your CV Experience applying transmission electron microscopy to the nanoscale analysis of materials The ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

Experience using TEM and/or STEM for high-resolution and diffraction contrast imaging, diffraction, and chemical spectroscopies (e.g., EDS or EELS) Experience independently operating monochromated and aberration-corrected TEMs Experience in writing and documenting code for data analysis, particularly in applications for quantitative image and spectrum processing A fundamental understanding of electronic structure of materials and electron beam interactions Strong laboratory skills in TEM specimen preparation methods and in other materials characterization techniques Strong written and oral communication skills Experience with electrochemical synthesis, electrochemical testing, and metal oxide electrode materials

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