Mines
Post-Doctoral Fellow, BioChar
Colorado
Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 5 days ago
SEMHRResearchCommunicationMentoring
About the role
- 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.
- These modified biochars will be evaluated in cement paste, mortar, and concrete systems for their effects on hydration, workability, mechanical performance, and durability.
Responsibilities
- Design and conduct chemical modification and functionalization of biochar to improve its performance in cementitious systems
- Colorado School of Mines (Mines), Civil and Environmental Engineering department, is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to support our research on chemically modified biochar for use in cementitious composites.
- The postdoctoral fellow will lead laboratory investigations aimed at improving the performance of biochar as a functional additive and supplementary cementitious material in concrete through targeted chemical modification.
- The researcher will 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, and will systematically characterize the resulting materials.
Requirements
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with chemical synthesis and/or surface modification of materials
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Experience with surface chemistry characterization techniques such as FTIR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, zeta potential, BET surface area analysis, TGA, or contact angle/wettability measurements
- Are you looking for an inspiring, mission-driven workplace where you can contribute to solving the world's problems and educating the next generation of change makers?
Skills
- Strong publication record in high-quality peer-reviewed journals
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
- 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
Compensation
- Mines takes into consideration a combination of (the) candidate's education, training and experience as well as the position's scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and in
Benefits
- Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution
- Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
Equal opportunity
- Through its policies, procedures and resources, Mines complies with federal law, Colorado state law, administrative regulations, executive orders and other legal requirements to prevent discrimination (including harassment or retaliation) within the Mines campus community and to address potential allegations of inequity or concerns for safety.
- Annual Rate
- Mines takes into consideration a combination of (the) candidate's education, training and experience as well as the position's scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.
- In addition to the amazing benefits mentioned below, Mines continues to show its dedication to its employees by offering an 11% employee contribution through our Mines Defined Contribution Plan and an incredible 12% employer contribution with immediate 100% vesting for our University Staff positions!
This listing is sourced directly from Mines's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.