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Assistant Project Scientist – Materials Science and Engineering – UC Berkeley

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Position description

Description:
The group of Professor Gerbrand Ceder at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is involved in the development of materials theory and design of materials, from beginning to end computation to experimental synthesis and characterization. Applications include energy capture, conversion, and storage. Our theory and modeling work is done in close collaboration with our experimental group for synthesis and characterization of novel materials, leading to many opportunities for cross-fertilization. We give individuals the opportunity to collaborate on multiple internal and external projects, as well as supervise graduate students. Many of our alumni have gone on to leading positions in academia and in the private sector. More information about our research group can be found at http://ceder.berkeley.edu. We particularly value innovation and a passion to bridge fundamental scientific inquiry and high-impact applications.
Our group offers candidates the opportunity to work in a highly interdisciplinary and dynamic environment.

As an Assistant Project Scientist, the focus of the work will be on the computational research of materials for application in the design of energy-efficient batteries. The work will make use of the state- of-the-art computational infrastructure together with high-throughput techniques.

Appointment Length:
This is a 75% time one-year position with the possibility of renewal based on performance and availability of funding. Anticipated start date is December 2018.

Responsibilities
The Assistant Project Scientist will assist the Principal Investigator in the following capacities:
• Beginning to end investigation of amorphous materials for battery applications
• Exploring new chemical compositions in amorphous structural frameworks for the design of solid-state ionic conductors
• Beginning to end simulation of ionic diffusivity in amorphous systems and analysis of the underlying mechanisms
• Structure characterization of amorphous electrolytes by simulation and comparison with neutron scattering and spectroscopy experiments
• Computational investigation of chemical and electrochemical phenomena at the interface between solid-state electrolyte and electrodes
• Assessing interface thermodynamic stability by construction and analysis of phase diagrams based on density functional theory calculations
• Evaluation of effects of kinetic stabilization by calculation of atomic extraction voltages
• Explicit interface simulations and electronic structure analysis for selected electrode/electrolyte combinations

Basic Qualifications:
At time of application
• PhD or equivalent international degree or enrolled in a PhD (or equivalent international degree) program granting program at the time of application.

Additional Qualifications:
By Start Date
• PhD or equivalent international degree
• Experience with theoretical methods, modeling and simulation systems for the investigation and development of battery materials
• Experience in modeling amorphous materials
• Experience with beginning to end molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods for modeling disordered systems

Preferred Qualifications:
• PhD in Materials Science, Theoretical / Computational Chemistry or equivalent
• Experience in using the pymatgen library for materials analysis
• Coding and software development experience (ideally in Python, Fortran)
• Experience with multiple quantum-chemistry codes (e.g., Vasp, CRYSTAL, Gaussian)
• Experience with high-throughput calculations
• Management of high-performance computing resources for the group and preparation/submission of proposals for allocation of computational time
• Experience contributing to publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Knowledge of the chemistry of poly-anion materials

Salary:
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and based on UC Berkeley salary scales. The salary range is $76,00-$88,000 (full time rate steps 1-4)

Application procedure:
To apply go to: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF01856

Please direct all questions for this position to Professor Gerbrand Ceder, gceder@berkeley.edu. Job will remain open until filled

Requirements:

● Cover Letter outlining experience
● Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated CV
● Statement of Research
● Three references (contact information only)

References:
Letters of reference may be requested of finalists.

All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California Policy and California State law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality: (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

We are interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their research.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter - outlining experience

  • Statement of Research

Reference requirements
  • 3 required (contact information only)

Job location

Berkeley, CA