Argonne National Laboratory is the first national laboratory in the United States, established in 1946. It is a science and engineering research laboratory, owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and operated by the University of Chicago Argonne LLC.

The announced position is in the Fuels and Chemicals Group of the Systems Assessment Center (SAC). SC belongs to the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis (ESIA) Division of the Argonne National Laboratory. The SAC continues a 30-year history of leadership in the field of life cycle assessment. The SAC develops and maintains the GREET model which is widely used by government, industry, and academic stakeholders to provide objective and rigorous results (see greet.es.anl.gov).

The Fuels and Chemicals Group supports DOE and other sponsors to assess the energy and environmental outcomes associated with fuels, products, and integrated systems in order to guide R&D efforts, identify improvement opportunities, and to create new approaches for LCA/sustainability analysis to address emerging issues.

Position Description:

We are currently seeking a postdoctoral researcher in life cycle assessment (LCA), with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Transportation energy systems

• Biomass feedstock production and logistics

• Conversion processes for production of fuels and products from biomass and waste feedstocks (e.g., plastics, manure, or CO2)

• Emerging biofuel production pathways including sustainable aviation fuels and marine fuels.

• Petroleum refining and coprocessing biobased feedstocks

• Bioplastics production

• Recycling technologies.

Postdoctoral Researchers collect and synthesize information to conduct LCA studies in the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) modeling platform, manipulate large datasets to extract meaningful results, communicate results through well-designed presentations, publish journal articles and reports, and present results at conferences, workshops, and project meetings. Results from the Postdoctoral Researchers’ work may be incorporated in the annual GREET updates. Postdoctoral Researchers will join project teams including experts in a variety of topics relevant to their work and will regularly collaborate with experts from Argonne as well as with industry and at other national laboratories.

Position Requirements

• Ph.D. degree in engineering (mechanical, chemical, civil), environmental science, or other related field with coursework and/or research experience in life cycle analysis and technoeconomic analysis.

• Expertise in topics related to sustainable transportation fuels including aviation and marine fuels, conversion of biomass or waste feedstocks to chemicals, and/or plastics.

• Demonstrated ability to perform life cycle assessment and technoeconomic analysis and to write related scientific reports.

• Written and oral communication skills

• The ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Passion for and experience in data-driven sustainability analysis.

• Well-developed problem-solving, systems thinking, quantitative, and critical thinking skills; intellectual curiosity. Able to structure and formulate solutions to complex problems.

• Highly motivated and detail oriented with the ability to work independently and in close collaboration with team members. Energized by working as part of a high functioning team and demonstrates a professional attitude.

• Skilled written and verbal communicator, including the ability to present complex information so that it is understandable to a broad audience.

• Record of peer-reviewed publications addressing the energy and emissions impacts of biomass or waste feedstock conversion technologies.

• Experience using process modeling tools such as Aspen Plus, CHEMCAD, and/or SuperPro to perform technoeconomic analysis.

• Experience using software for life cycle assessment such as GREET, openLCA, SimaPro, or GaBi.

• Strong computer skills relevant for data manipulation and analysis including experience with creating and using complex models in Excel. Experience with Excel VBA scripting, Python, R, and/or Matlab preferred.

• Expertise relevant for analysis of one or more of the following: the transportation sector, biomass conversion or other chemical processes, agricultural or forestry systems, sustainable aviation fuels, alternative fuels for marine applications, and biopower.

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