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Postdoctoral Appointee - Research at extremes of pressure, temperature and strain at HPCAT

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

Posted Jun 1, 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 time a high-pressure experiment failed, like a diamond breaking or a gasket failing. What did you learn?

What they are checking: Whether they have real hands-on DAC experience and learn from setbacks.

How do you balance supporting general users at HPCAT with your own research?

What they are checking: Whether they can serve the user community while still producing their own science.

Tell me about a collaboration with users or other beamline staff that went really well.

What they are checking: Whether they work well in the shared, team-based environment of a user facility.

What would you do

The posting expects you to help advance these capabilities. What would you improve first?

What they are checking: Whether they can see where the instruments could be better and take initiative.

About the work

How do you measure temperature accurately in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell at beamline 16-ID-B?

What they are checking: Whether they understand spectroradiometry and the gradients and errors that come with laser heating.

When would you use a dynamic DAC or rotational DAC instead of a standard DAC?

What they are checking: Whether they know what each platform adds, like strain rate or shear, and why it matters.

How does white-beam Laue multi-grain diffraction at 16-BM-D help you study deformation under pressure?

What they are checking: Whether they understand grain-resolved methods for studying strain and texture.

How would you combine laser heating with fast X-ray probing to catch a transient state?

What they are checking: Whether they can think about timing and synchronization when coupling heating and probing.

How do you avoid chemical reactions between your sample and the pressure medium or diamond at high temperature?

What they are checking: Whether they understand sample environment problems that can ruin melting studies.

How do you decide a material has melted in a laser-heated cell?

What they are checking: Whether they know the competing melting criteria and the controversies around them.

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The full job description

As published by Argonne National Laboratory.

The overarching focus of the postdoc position and effort is on advancing the understanding of materials at high pressure-temperature conditions, and in particularly across the solid-melt transition and melt-liquid structure. With the recent APS-Upgrade project completed and new high coherence and brightness x-ray beam, HPCAT has concurrently made over $20M HPCAT investments in upgrading key infrastructure to advance x-ray platforms for studying matter under extreme conditions. The selected postdoc will have ample opportunities for career growth and cutting-edge scientific research with new platforms at HPCAT and across various featured beamlines of APS, as well as playing a critical role in growth of HPCAT long term. Research at extremes of pressure, temperature and strain at HPCAT The selected postdoc will primarily focus on utilizing and advancing capabilities with the laser heating system at beamline 16-ID-B, complemented by monochromatic and white-beam Laue multi-grain measurements at 16-BM-D. Leveraging an array of laser and resistive heating capabilities, the postdoc will be expected to contribute to advancement of these capabilities and integrating various high-pressure platforms, including the dynamic-DAC (d-DAC), rotational-DAC (roto-DAC), and multi-anvil DAC (MDAC), to push the boundaries of coupled heating and x-ray probing. The goal is to characterize materials at high temperature, high pressure, and high strain rates, in effort to address outstanding scientific questions regarding material behavior near and across the solid-melt transition and into the melt region. Measurements will be performed on various transition metals, but it is expected that the Postdoc would also drive scientific efforts and expand the capability to other materials, such as high entropy alloys, advanced manufactured materials, superconductors, and other materials proposed by the candidate. Likewise, the Postdoc is expected to continue driving scientific advancements and contribute to long term vision of HPCAT. Working with staff and extensive partner members (including LANL, LLNL, SNL, and numerous national and international academic and other institutions) The Postdoc will have long term career growth and future opportunities at HPCAT, APS, and beyond. Last, it is also expected that both positions will continue to grow and/or implement various AI/ML capabilities coupled to advancing the overall research efforts. As such, we encourage applicants to consider how their data processing and software development capability fits into the proposed work and future direction. The Postdocs will be working directly with assigned HPCAT staff mentor and interacting on regular basis with HPCAT principal scientist and management. This is a two year term position (with expected impactful progress) and may be considered for extension and/or conversion to full time position. Position Requirements Candidates with either significant background in high pressure platforms and/or x-ray measurements are encouraged to apply, and candidates from various scientific backgrounds (Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Geoscience, and Engineering, etc.) will be considered. • Recent or soon-to-be completed PhD (within the last 0-5 years) in Physics, Chemistry, Material Science, Geosciences or Engineering. • Demonstrated experience with high-pressure platforms including dynamic DAC, laser heating and resistive heating, and synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements. • Able to implement various AI/ML applications. **Please include your CV and a summary of relevant experience and proposed scientific ideas within the scope of position posting (3 page max).** Application review will commence on June 08 latest and resume until position is filled. Inquiries regarding scientific scope of the position can be directed to HPCAT Director Nenad Velisavljevic ( HPCAT-Director@anl.gov ) and HPCAT Group Leader Maddury Somayazulu ( zulu@anl.gov ) . 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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