Post Bachelors RA - Electrical Separations of Critical Minerals

About the Role

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments referred to as Directorates, focused on specific areas of scientific research or functions. The Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate (PCSD) excels in experimental, computational, and theoretical chemistry and materials science, alongside advanced computing, applied mathematics, and data science. This role is situated within the Physical Sciences Division, which stewards discovery science research portfolios including catalysis, materials science, separations, analytical chemistry, geosciences, and chemical physics.

As a Research Associate in the Chemical Physics & Analysis group, you will contribute to PNNL’s goals in experimental spectroscopy and chemical imaging. You will join a multi-researcher team supporting operando studies of critical materials separations using multimodal spectroscopy, interferometry, and complementary imaging techniques. You will be mentored by prominent researchers while conducting experiments and developing agentic systems for scientific experimentation, data analysis, and workflow coordination.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the creation of reports and scientific publications.
• Interact, communicate, and problem solve with a diverse team of research staff across PNNL.
• Prepare and handle chemical and materials samples for operando spectroscopic and interferometric measurements.
• Conduct multimodal measurements using Raman spectroscopy, Mach-Zehnder interferometry, optical imaging, and complementary analytical techniques.
• Assist with the assembly, operation, integration, and troubleshooting of laboratory instruments and experimental systems.
• Analyze spectroscopic, interferometric, and imaging results using common data-reduction, visualization, and scientific software tools.
• Assist with developing, testing, and evaluating agentic systems for experimental planning, instrument coordination, data analysis, and scientific workflow support.
• Maintain experimental records, metadata, and documentation to support data quality, traceability, and reproducibility.
• Contribute to the creation of reports, presentations, proposals, and scientific publications.

Requirements

• Candidates must have received a Bachelor’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Experience with spectroscopy, interferometry, optical imaging, microscopy, or laboratory instrumentation.
• Experience conducting laboratory experiments involving materials, liquids, interfaces, or electrochemical systems.
• Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, Origin, ImageJ, or comparable scientific software.
• Interest in developing or evaluating artificial intelligence, agentic systems, scientific automation, or human-in-the-loop research workflows.
• Strong attention to experimental detail, data quality, metadata, provenance, and reproducibility.

Working Conditions

• Ability to work onsite during core business hours (8 am – 5 pm) as most duties involve working in a laboratory environment.
• Hazards are typical of those in a chemistry laboratory.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families.
• Robust telehealth care options and several mental health benefits.
• Free wellness coaching and health savings account.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Basic life insurance and disability insurance.
• Employee assistance program and business travel insurance.
• Tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits.
• Supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support.
• Company-funded pension plan and 401(k) savings plan with company match (eligibility dependent).
• Up to 120 vacation hours per year and ten paid holidays per year (Research Associates excluded).

Pay

Minimum Salary: USD $27.50/Hr.

Maximum Salary: USD $35.77/Hr.