Asst. Professor - Chemical Engineering jobs in Knoxville, TN

/Duties:

The candidate will conduct research into the fundamental chemistry and/or physical properties of lignin as it is extracted from softwood to lignin. The candidate will be required to characterize the structure of biomass before and after pretreatment/fractionation employing standard literature methodology to analyze bioresources by NMR, FT-IR, GPC, SEM, and wet chemical methodologies. The researcher will become involved in a research team directed at developing new biorefinery methodologies for bio-derived materials, especially the coating of natural and man-made fibers. The researcher will work in Dr. Ragauskas' research team and will maintain accurate laboratory notes, provide research technical reports, prepare publications/reports, and assist in preparing oral presentations that summarize the accomplishments of the research program. Participation in general laboratory maintenance and safety programs and associated team research issues will be required. The research project is fundamental in nature but directed at developing solutions to practical problems in lignin valorization. A successful candidate is expected to publish a minimum two papers in peer reviewed journals/year, each with an impact factor greater than four. Research studies will be conducted on the UTK campus and in partnership with CRC/UTIA projects. The project and research position is funded by an external funded project and employment is conditionally on continued external funding.

The candidate must be able to work independently and be capable of designing, implementing, recording, and interpreting the results of experimental investigations. As well as provide monthly reports and technical manuscripts, this position requires the researcher to be familiar with modern biomass chemistry knowledgeable in HPLC, GPC, NMR, FTIR, and lignin separation/fractionation technologies. The candidate also needs to take a position of leadership for day-to-day safety operations, addressing all of UT's environmental health and safety requirements and also perform monthly accounting of research related expenses. The researcher must have the ability and is expected to self-assess their research skill set and identify weakness and secure learning resources to address these issues. In addition, the researcher needs to be willing to learn advanced biomass chemistry and exhibit a working knowledge of oral and written English.

How to apply:

Three professional references as well as a resume are needed for this position. A cover letter is optional. The candidate will need to have successfully completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Material Science or Biomass Processing with a special emphasis in characterization of bioresources. For questions concerning this position please email Dr. Arthur Ragauskas at aragausk@utk.edu