Posting Title

Postdoctoral Researcher – Hydrogen Storage and Carriers

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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 eight 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.

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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 Chemistry & Nanoscience Center at NREL has an opening for a post-doctoral researcher to support research within the HyMARC consortium that is dedicated to accelerating the discovery of advanced hydrogen storage materials and hydrogen carriers (https://www.hymarc.org/). The position primarily involves the design, engineering, construction, calibration, and validation of custom equipment for characterizing hydrogen carriers, liquid-organic-hydrogen-carrier (LOHC) catalysts, hydrides and sorbents at pilot scale for specific applications. Development of best practices for equipment use and validation, experimental design, and data analysis will be critical. The successful candidate will have experience with characterization of hydrogen storage/carrier materials or catalyst-bed reactors, as well as experience with integrating together electrical systems, mechanical systems, and computer programming to produce unique measurement capabilities.  Strong communication, interpersonal, and project management skills are required.

Job Duties

• Characterize hydrogen-storage materials
• Characterize hydrogen carriers especially with respect to the performance of current and advanced LOHC catalysts.
• Assist with design, fabrication, and operation of custom equipment
• Automation of characterization equipment
• Calibration and validation of equipment

Assist with troubleshooting and repair of equipment including electrical, mechanical, fluid-handling and vacuum systems

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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

• Material characterization experience
• Experience with precious and non-precious metal catalysts
• Experience with custom equipment design and build
• Experience with designing thermal management for custom equipment
• Experience with equipment automation regarding integration of hardware and software
• Proven skills in troubleshooting and repairing complex mechanical and electrical systems
• Ability to program in one or more languages
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Strong self-motivation, ability to work on collaborative projects, ability to prioritize and balance different types of concurrent tasks, strong organization skills, attention to details
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Strong written, verbal, team, interpersonal and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates should have at least two or more of the following:

• Experience with cryogenic systems
• Materials characterization skills such as BET, TEM, XRD, XRF, Raman spectroscopy, TPD, catalyst-bed reactor and adsorption measurements using a Sieverts apparatus.
• Ability to program in LabView and troubleshoot/modify LabView code
• Other significant computer programming experience
• Experience with vacuum systems
• Experience with gas adsorption instruments
• Experience with mass spectroscopy systems
• Experience with pilot scale system design
• Machine shop and/or mechanical design experience

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Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $71,300 - $117,600

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

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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