Postdoctoral Scholar Position - Autonomous Polymer Processing and Interface Engineering

About the role

The Department of Polymer Science, Engineering, and Technology at Penn State Behrend seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to help establish a data-enabled autonomous polymer processing and interface engineering platform. The position is led by Prof. YuanQiao Rao, whose research focuses on processing–structure–interface–property relationships in multi-material polymer systems, with applications in overmolded electronics, advanced manufacturing, coatings, and sustainable polymer processing. The lab operates at the intersection of experimental polymer science, data-driven process optimization, and industry-engaged research.

The successful candidate will work with faculty, students, and industry partners to develop experimental workflows connecting polymer materials, processing conditions, interface formation, characterization, and performance/reliability testing. The initial research direction is expected to focus on polymer/substrate interface reliability in overmolded electronics and composites, with possible extensions to coatings, membranes, and advanced polymer manufacturing.

The position is well suited for a candidate with a builder mindset who is excited by both scientific discovery and laboratory/platform development. The postdoctoral scholar will help design experimental workflows, establish processing and testing protocols, build data-management practices, mentor undergraduate students, and contribute to publications, proposals, and industry-facing technical reports.

Responsibilities

• Help establish a data-enabled polymer processing and characterization platform.
• Design and execute experiments on processing–structure–interface–property relationships.
• Develop DOE-based experimental plans for overmolding, composites, adhesion, and reliability studies.
• Support setup of sensor-rich or semi-automated processing/testing workflows.
• Develop SOPs for processing, testing, data capture, and sample handling.
• Conduct mechanical, interfacial, surface, and failure analysis experiments.
• Analyze data using statistical, DOE, and/or machine-learning-informed approaches as appropriate.
• Mentor undergraduate students working on related projects.
• Contribute to manuscripts, conference abstracts, technical reports, and external proposals.
• Support industry engagement and laboratory demonstrations.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in polymer science, materials science and engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a closely related field by the appointment start date.
• Strong experimental background in at least one of the following areas:
  • polymer processing;
  • polymer interfaces or adhesion;
  • coatings or thin films;
  • composites or overmolding;
  • mechanical testing and failure analysis;
  • data-enabled manufacturing or automation.
• Ability to work independently in a developing laboratory environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Interest in mentoring undergraduate students.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with injection molding, extrusion, coating, additive manufacturing, or related polymer processing methods.
• Experience with adhesion testing, lap shear, peel testing, burst testing, leak testing, or fracture/failure analysis.
• Experience with surface treatments such as plasma, silane chemistry, oxidation, primers, or surface cleaning protocols.
• Experience with polymer/substrate interfaces, fiber-matrix interface, electronics packaging, or high-performance thermoplastics such as PPS, PEI, PEEK, LCP, or related materials.
• Experience with DOE, statistical analysis, Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Arduino, PLCs, sensors, data acquisition, or machine-learning-assisted experimentation.
• Experience with microscopy, FTIR, XPS, contact angle, DSC, TGA, DMA, rheology, or related characterization methods.
• Demonstrated ability to build or improve experimental setups, workflows, or laboratory capabilities.

Appointment Start date

Flexible; Target start of Spring 2027. Earlier start dates may be considered for exceptional candidates. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

About Penn State Behrend and PSET

Penn State Behrend is a residential campus of The Pennsylvania State University located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Department of Polymer Science, Engineering, and Technology (PSET) is a newly merged, growing department with strong industry connections in the Erie region and beyond, active partnerships with companies including RTP, Autodesk, Kyocera, Plastikos, and Poseidon, and a commitment to building a data-enabled polymer manufacturing research platform.

For questions about the position, please contact Prof. YuanQiao Rao at yuanrao@psu.edu.