Post-Doctoral Research Associate- Nuclear Engineering
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
Full-time
Engineering
Posted on April 11, 2024
Post-Doctoral Research Associate – Nuclear Engineering Department
Focus: Studying the Behavior of High Entropy Materials under Extremes
Description: The University of Tennessee has an opening of a postdoctoral position in investigating the behavior of high entropy materials under extreme conditions. This position resides in the Department of Nuclear Engineering (NE) at the University of Tennessee (UT), as part of a multidisciplinary project aimed at developing new alloys and ceramics for extreme environment applications. The postdoctoral research associate will be supervised by Steven Zinkle and Maik Lang in the NE Department at UT and will work collaboratively with a team of faculty and students in NE, Materials Science and Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The initial appointment is a temporary full-time assignment of 12 months with the possibility of extension for another two years.
Qualifications :
Desired Qualifications: Experience with ion irradiation and high-pressure experiments.
- Experience with with ion-beam experiments using keV-MeV ions and swift heavy ions
- Radiation effects testing and structural characterization (transmission electron microscopy, neutron and/or synchrotron scattering, nanoindentation, etc.)
- High pressure experiments using diamond anvil cells (DACs)
- Laser heating coupled with DACs experiments
- Expertise with synchrotron-based X-ray experiments
- Present and report research results and publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals in a timely manner
- Work collaboratively in a team environment and interact effectively with a broad range of colleagues
Communication: Excellent presentation, oral and written communication skills.
Behavior of High Entropy Materials under Extremes
The University of Tennessee is pleased to announce an immediate opening for a post-doctoral research associate in the area of materials testing under extreme environments of ion irradiation and high pressures/temepartures. The successful candidate will be working with a multidisciplinary team involving ~20 faculty, 6 postdocs and ~20 graduate students and as part of a recently funded large materials research center. The overarching goal of this integrated research group is to develop discovery and optimization workflows for concentrated solid solution (high entropy) alloys and ceramics for extreme environment applications combining combinatorial synthesis, characterization, and machine learning based feedback. The candidate must have a demonstrated experience ion-beam irradiation experiments and high-pressure/temperature experiments combined with structural characterization such as transmission electron microscopies and x-ray diffraction. Experience with multiple exremes is highly advantageous. Excellent written, as evidenced by a prolific publication record, and oral communication skills are necessary. A PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or a related field is required; candidates that are finishing their degree will also be considered. Applicants can start the position if they have finished the PhD degree requirements, even if the degree has not been conferred. The candidate will be co-advised by Professors Steven Zinkle and Maik Lang at the University of Tennessee. Specific responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
1. Working with and mentor graduate students.
2. Expose high entropy materials (ceramics and alloys) to various extremes such as ion irradiation and high pressures/temperatures.
3. Characterize the behavior and dependence on material complexity.
4. Collaborate with materials synthesis and modeling team to optimize material performance under extremes
5. Prepare reports, manuscripts, and conference presentations.
Interested applicants should send inquiries and application materials (a cover letter and curriculum vita) to szinkle@utk.edu and mlang2@utk.edu.
