Postdoctoral Associate, Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering

Location: Boston University Charles River Campus, Boston, MA. Position type: Full‑Time/Regular. Initial appointment: one year, expected start date October or November 2026, with the possibility of annual renewal.

Responsibilities

• Develop novel battery cell designs and architecture.
• Electrochemical synthesis and deposition of materials.
• Analyze results of electrochemical experiments and characterization.
• Perform and analyze flammability and safety tests on materials and devices.
• Sealing, coating, contacting, and packaging of sensitive energy‑storage devices.
• Iterate and improve custom cell fabrication, from materials to assembly methods to cell design.
• Prepare frequent technical reports and present results to the research team and funding entities.

Requirements

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related engineering or physical science field.
• Strong experimental research background in at least two of the following areas:
  • Battery or electrochemical cell development and testing
  • Hermetic sealing and packaging
  • Metal plating (electroless and galvanic)
  • Safety and flammability of materials, packaging, and/or batteries
  • Electronic contacting and wiring of sensitive devices
• Experience working within a collaborative R&D team in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Interest in entrepreneurship is strongly preferred.

Skills

• Experimental design and execution for advanced battery technologies.
• Electrochemical synthesis and material deposition techniques.
• Safety and flammability testing of energy‑storage devices.
• Hermetic sealing, coating, and packaging of sensitive components.
• Metal plating processes (both electroless and galvanic).
• Electronic contacting, wiring, and integration of devices.
• Technical reporting and presentation to multidisciplinary audiences.

Pay

Minimum Salary $67,500.00 – Maximum Salary $80,000.00. Final compensation will be determined based on departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training, and internal pay comparison.

Schedule

Full‑Time/Regular position with an expected start date of October or November 2026. Initial appointment for one year, renewable annually.