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Postdoctoral Appointee – Advanced Electrochemical Separations

Argonne National Laboratory · Lemont, IL · $72,879–$121,465 a year · Full time

Posted Jul 22, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a reactor or cell you designed and built. What failed in the first version?

What they are checking: Hands-on prototyping experience and learning from design failures.

Tell me about a time you presented results at a conference that didn't fully support your hypothesis.

What they are checking: Honesty in communicating results, which matters for publications and reports.

What would you do

Your selectivity results don't match what the computational modeling team predicted. How do you work it out with them?

What they are checking: Ability to collaborate with modelers and treat disagreement as information, not blame.

Where do you see this work having the biggest impact, and which elements would you target first?

What they are checking: Whether they understand the purpose of energy-efficient separations, such as critical materials recovery.

About the work

How would you use cyclic voltammetry to screen deep eutectic solvent compositions for a target element?

What they are checking: Practical skill turning CV data into decisions about solvent choice and electrochemical accessibility.

What makes electrodeposition in a deep eutectic solvent harder than in an aqueous electrolyte, and how do you deal with it?

What they are checking: Understanding of viscosity, conductivity and speciation issues specific to DES media.

How would you characterize mass transfer in a rotating packed bed reactor under flow conditions?

What they are checking: Chemical engineering reasoning about mass transfer, which is central to the reactor's advantage.

Walk me through what EIS can tell you about an electrodeposition system, and a time it changed your interpretation.

What they are checking: Whether they use impedance spectroscopy meaningfully rather than just collecting spectra.

How do you decide whether the potentiostatic or galvanostatic mode is better for a separation experiment?

What they are checking: Understanding of how control mode affects selectivity and deposit quality.

What safety concerns do you consider when running electrochemical experiments with complex metal mixtures?

What they are checking: Awareness of chemical and electrical hazards in a national lab setting.

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The full job description

As published by Argonne National Laboratory.

The postdoctoral appointee will be part of a multidisciplinary team developing an innovative electrochemical rotating packed bed reactor platform for energy-efficient separation of elements from complex mixtures. Day-to-day responsibilities will include designing and fabricating electrochemical reactor prototypes, conducting electrodeposition experiments in deep eutectic solvent (DES) media, characterizing mass transfer and selectivity under flow conditions, and screening and tuning DES compositions to optimize solubility, speciation, and electrochemical accessibility for target elements. The candidate will work closely with computational modeling collaborators to validate reactor designs and optimize operating parameters. The candidate will be expected to contribute to report preparation, presentation of results at conferences, and production of peer-reviewed publications. Position Requirements • PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science, or a related field completed in the past five years or soon-to-be completed. • Knowledge of general principles of electrochemistry, chemical engineering, and chemical technology is required. • Knowledge of electrodeposition techniques, including potentiostatic/galvanostatic methods, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is required. • Skill in oral and written presentation of ideas, discussion of technical results, and in the development of technical reports and presentations is required. • Knowledge of the use of computers to design and control experiments and to analyze and interpret experimental data is required. • Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multi-institutional research environment is required. • Ability to model Argonne's Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork. Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experience • Experience with non-aqueous electrolyte systems such as deep eutectic solvents, ionic liquids, or molten salts is desired. Experience formulating, characterizing, and tuning designer solvent systems (e.g., selecting hydrogen bond donor/acceptor combinations to control metal speciation, solubility, and transport properties) is highly desired. • Experience with physical property measurement of non-aqueous solvents (viscosity, density, conductivity, electrochemical window) is desired. • Familiarity with design, fabrication, or prototyping including 3D printing, SolidWorks, or similar CAD tools is a plus. • Exposure to mass transfer principles in rotating or flow-enhanced electrochemical systems is desired. • Experience with analytical characterization techniques for deposit analysis is desired. Job Family Postdoctoral Job Profile Postdoctoral Appointee Worker Type Long-Term (Fixed Term) Time Type Full time The expected hiring range for this position is $72,879.00-$121,465.00. Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package. Click here to view Argonne employee benefits! As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department. All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

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