Open Positions

Postdoctoral Openings

Bipolar Membranes

Polymer Upcycling

BIPOLAR MEMBRANES for VARIOUS ENERGY‐RELATED DEVICES

OPENING: Postdoctoral Research Associate


The Opportunity: Prof. Winey is joining a multi‐PI and multi‐institutional project investigating bipolar membranes for electrolysis. The project will investigate the fundamental processes of catalytic water autodissociation, ion transport, and acid‐base neutralization in bipolar membranes and related ionomer heterojunction systems. Understanding and managing the generation and transport of ions in membrane‐based electrochemical systems is essential to realizing more‐efficient technologies for renewable‐energy conversion, energy storage, and separations. Bipolar membranes, originally developed for electrodialysis applications, have recently emerged as promising components of electrochemical systems including electrolyzers for generating hydrogen and oxygen from water and chemical fuels from CO2, fuel cells for hydrogen utilization, high‐energy‐density redox‐flow, batteries for long‐duration storage, and electrochemical pH‐swing devices for direct CO2 capture from the air or ocean. Such ionomer junctions further enable the design of electrochemical devices with functions that are currently impossible to achieve with monopolar membranes. The team includes expertise in experimental electrochemistry (Boettcher, Mallouk), theory and modeling on molecular to macroscopic length scales (Head‐Gordon, Vojvodic, Weber), nanomaterials synthesis (Mallouk, Radu), and materials characterization (Winey).


The Organization: The University of Pennsylvania is a top research university located in Philadelphia with a notable collection of polymer and soft matter research groups. The Winey research group strives to be welcoming and respectful of all people and is committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM. We particularly welcome applicants from underrepresented groups.


The Qualifications: Candidates should have a PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, physics, or another relevant discipline. They should also have a successful record as an experimentalist, and a desire to develop innovative research advances. Good communications skills and the ability to work within a diverse research team are essential.


To Apply: Send a cover letter, resume, and up to two publications combined into a single PDF file directly to Karen Winey (winey@seas.upenn.edu).

Requests for additional information are welcome.

POLYMER UPCYCLING

The Opportunity: Prof. Karen Winey at the University of Pennsylvania is leading an effort to transform postconsumer plastics into valuable polymers. Motivated by reducing both plastic waste and energy consumption, this interdisciplinary project involves designing new catalysts and new polymer reactions that convert polyolefins into specialty polymers. The team comprises faculty, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers from four departments to provide the necessary breadth of expertise. This postdoctoral researcher position will engage broadly in this effort to facilitate progress across the project. Areas of interest include the following: high temperature gel permeation chromatography (HTGPC) as a new instrument will be delivered in early 2024, polymer rheology and mixing to understand the melt flow during heterogeneous catalytic reactions, identifying or designing catalyst supports that are compatible with viscous polymer melts, and polymer characterization of thermal, structural, and mechanical properties.


The Organization: The University of Pennsylvania is a top research university located in Philadelphia, PA. The research team includes faculty, postdocs and graduate students from Departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemistry, as well as the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), which provides a stimulating atmosphere for postgraduate research and supports an inclusive and diverse environment. The Winey research group is committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM, and we particularly welcome applicants from underrepresented groups.

The Qualifications: Candidates should have a PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or another relevant discipline. They should also have a successful record as an experimentalist, and a desire to develop innovative research advances. Good communications skills and the ability to work within a diverse research team are essential.

To Apply: Send a cover letter, resume, and up to two publications combined into a single PDF file directly to Prof. Karen Winey (winey@seas.upenn.edu).

Requests for additional information are welcome.