Posting Title
Postdoctoral Researcher – NMR Spectroscopist for Biomass Cell Wall Analysis

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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.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see 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 is a talented team of scientists (researchers) and technicians working in biological, chemical, and catalytic research approaches to renewable energy and materials for a circular economy. The Center at NREL has an opening for a full time post-doctoral researcher working within a team focused on the analysis of biomass cell walls using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic approaches. This role will be working with projects in the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI, https://cbi.ornl.gov/) and also funded by the Laboratory Directed Research Development program.

What to expect for the role:

• Analytical method implementation and development for lignocellulosic biomass compositional and cell wall structural analysis using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
• Critical analysis of data using variety of statistical tools and formatting for manuscripts and presentations
• Presentation of findings in high-impact journals, conferences and patents
• Development of new concepts and ideas for biomass analysis and data-driven hypotheses for biomass compositional and structural behavior in field and conversion platforms and for manipulation of biomass for optimized properties

The successful candidate will support interdisciplinary projects focused on the analysis of lignocellulosic biomass for advancing knowledge of the relationships between cell wall compositional and structural properties as they relate to biomass agricultural performance (stress resilience, yield, etc.) and conversion to fuels and bioderived products (enzymatic deconstruction, thermochemical conversion, catalytic upgrading, etc.).

Emphasis be on the use of NMR instrumentation, data analysis, statistical analysis of laboratory data and implementation and development of high-throughput analytical methods for biomass analysis. Thus, the successful candidate will be expected to have extensive knowledge of NMR instrumentation and troubleshooting, and data analysis,.

BEST Directorate

This role will provide an opportunity to cultivate skills in the planning, design, and execution of research; publish in high-impact journals, technical reports, and conferences; and conduct literature review including the development of new concepts and ideas for biomass analysis and related insights.

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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

• Strong background in operation, maintenance, method development and troubleshooting of NMR instrumentation

• Analysis of biomass and bio-derived solids and liquids by solid- and solution-state NMR

• Demonstrated ability to disseminate research findings through technical reports, publications, and presentations to external audiences including at national conferences

• Experience working with large volumes of data and/or data dimensions and associated statistical data analysis methods (PCA, ANOVA, etc.) and statistical programming tools (e.g., R, Python, Matlab, etc.)

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Attention to detail, problem solving abilities

• Dedication to a safe, clean, inclusive and collaborative work environment

• Experience with highly collaborative research including engagement with scientists at other National Laboratories, industrial, and/or academic partners

Preferred Qualifications

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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

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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