A postdoctoral position in high-pressure chemical kinetics is available in the Combustion Chemistry Department of Sandia National Laboratories' Combustion Research Facility (CRF). In collaboration with staff scientists in the Combustion Chemistry Department, the successful candidate will work primarily in two directions:
1) Design and implementation of a molecular beam/photoionization mass spectrometry apparatus for isomer-resolved measurements of reaction kinetics at high pressures.
2) Probing of key combustion reactions by time-resolved OH radical laser-induced fluorescence, as well as development of other optical detection techniques.
The postdoctoral associate will also be expected to interact strongly with related ongoing computational kinetics and modeling efforts in the department and with external collaborators.
This position falls under Job Opening 638235 -- All candidates must apply online at www.sandia.gov/careers
Required qualifications: Ph.D in chemistry, mechanical engineering, physics, or related field, with emphasis on chemical reaction kinetics or dynamics strongly preferred. Candidate must have substantial expertise in at least one of the following areas: chemical kinetics, laser spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, or photoionization detection of chemical species. Also required are high scientific ability, demonstrated by a strong publication record, good presentation and communication skills, and ability to collaborate in an interdisciplinary research environment.
Desired qualifications: Strong knowledge in one of the following areas is highly desired: high-pressure (up to 100 bar) chemical kinetics experiments, combustion chemistry, molecular beam methods, fluid dynamics, and the building of experimental apparatus.
U.S. citizenship is not required.
Department Description: The Combustion Chemistry program, under the principal sponsorship of the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, seeks to reveal the key chemical processes that underlie the complex mechanisms of combustion. The program emphasizes determination of the rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions, characterization of molecular structure and energetics, and development of full descriptions of chemical composition and evolution of combustion systems. Researchers in the program employ laser-based pump/probe techniques to interrogate chemical reactivity and structure, ion-imaging to simultaneously measure velocity and internal-state distributions of reaction products, experimental techniques in the picosecond and femtosecond domains to directly probe energy transfer and conversion within and between molecules, and laser-based methods directed at detection of combustion-generated particles. In other work, molecular photolysis is coupled with absorption/fluorescence detection methods to determine the thermal rate coefficients and product distributions for reactions that constitute the individual steps in the combustion chain process. Current computational efforts include ab initio calculations of molecular structure and energetics and computer modeling of the complete kinetics of combustion processes in both laminar and turbulent environments.
Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation. We are a world-class team of scientists, engineers, technologists, post docs, and visiting researchers all focused on cutting-edge technology, ranging from homeland defense, global security, biotechnology, and environmental preservation to energy and combustion research, computer security, and nuclear defense.
Sandia National Laboratories is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.
To join or leave the molecular-dynamics-news email list, go to:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/molecular-dynamics-news.html
|