Postdoctoral Research Associate in Colloidal Science

About the opportunity

The School of Chemistry is currently seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Colloidal Science to work on a project funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Project, in collaboration with industry partner DuluxGroup Australia, on nanostructured polymeric particles as paint additives.

You will work under the mentorship of Prof Chiara Neto to achieve controlled assembly of polymer particles, which should lead to paint films that are high-performing, durable, and with long-lasting colour. The project team involves academics expert in functional coatings (Prof Neto), emulsion polymerisation (Dr Nguyen) and in self-assembly and scattering (Prof Warr).

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• achieve controlled assembly of polymer nanoparticles
• characterise materials properties of the produced polymer films
• conduct literature reviews, present results to partners and write scientific manuscripts
• co-supervise research students in the group
• assist in lab management.

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate who has:

• a PhD degree in physical or polymer chemistry, interfacial physics, or mechanical engineering;
• a background in colloidal self-assembly;
• independence in conducting high quality research;
• proven problem-solving skills;
• a strong track record in research publication;
• desirable: experience in working on structural colour, and in international settings.