Post-Doctoral Fellow, BioChar

About the role

The Colorado School of Mines (Mines), Civil and Environmental Engineering department, is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to support research on chemically modified biochar for use in cementitious composites. This is a one-year position with the possibility of extension for a second year, pending funding and performance. The anticipated start date is August 2026.

Responsibilities

• Lead laboratory investigations aimed at improving the performance of biochar as a functional additive and supplementary cementitious material in concrete through targeted chemical modification.
• Design and execute surface treatment and functionalization strategies (e.g., oxidative treatments, chemical grafting, mineral coatings, or impregnation approaches) to tune biochar surface chemistry, wettability, and reactivity.
• Systematically characterize the resulting materials using techniques such as FTIR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, zeta potential, BET surface area analysis, TGA, or contact angle/wettability measurements.
• Evaluate modified biochars in cement paste, mortar, and concrete systems for their effects on hydration, workability, mechanical performance, and durability.
• Work closely with graduate students, other postdoctoral fellows, and industry collaborators to translate promising modification routes toward scalable processes.
• Manage lab operations, prepare project reports, scholarly publications, and research proposals.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students and train research collaborators.

Requirements

• PhD in a related field (chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, civil engineering, or other related fields).
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with chemical synthesis and/or surface modification of materials.
• Strong publication record in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience with carbon-based materials (biochar, activated carbon, carbon black, graphene oxide, or similar).
• Familiarity with cementitious materials or willingness to learn independently.
• Experience with materials characterization equipment such as SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, ICP-AES, or Micro-CT.
• Interest in working at the interface of academic research and industry translation.

Benefits

• Flexible health and dental care options
• Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus.
• Comprehensive retirement plan with generous employer contribution
• Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
• Free RTD Ecopass (EcoPass)
• Access to the state-of-the-art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more)
• Equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center
• On-campus daycare center

Contact

To apply, interested applicants should apply online as soon as possible but before Tuesday June 21, 2026. If you submit your application after this date, it may or may not be considered. Applicants will be asked to complete an online application and upload a resume. References will not be collected or contacted until later in the selection process and the candidate will be informed before that contact is made.