A post-doctoral candidate is sought for a position in the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering (NAISE). The successful candidate will collaborate with Professor Jennifer Dunn at Northwestern University and Troy Hawkins of Argonne National Laboratory to analyze systems-level energy and environmental benefits of co-optimization of liquid fuels and engines in the light-duty and heavy-duty sectors. The post-doctoral researcher will also investigate how this approach to reducing energy consumption and emissions in transportation is complementary to electrification of light- and heavy-duty vehicles. Areas of analysis may include the influence of producing fuels from biomass and other sources with fuel properties that enable improved engine performance on the sustainability of refineries, optimization of feedstock-to-fuel pathways, and examining air quality effects of expanded consumption of new liquid fuel blends alongside electrified vehicles.
Desired knowledge and experience areas for competitive candidates include:
- Production routes of fuels from biomass, petroleum, and natural gas
- Refinery operations
- Chemical process modeling
- Optimization
- Life cycle analysis methodology
This position will involve significant interaction between Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University, with the post-doctoral researcher being an employee of Northwestern University and holding a joint appointment with Argonne National Laboratory. The post-doctoral researcher will be expected to spend 1-2 days per week at Argonne.
Qualified individuals should have a Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering or a related field. Candidates should have significant expertise in working with MS Excel and other relevant software. Knowledge of process modeling software including AspenPlus is also desired. Programming in Python, R, Matlab, Java, or a similar language. Writing VBA scripts and macros for MS Excel. Good oral and written communication skills are also required.
Please submit a cover letter, a CV, and contact information for three references to jennifer.dunn1@northwestern.edu to apply.