"Postdoctoral Research Associate, Materials Science and Engineering"

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Materials Science and Engineering

Company: The University of Arizona

Job Location: Tucson, 85724

Category: Mechanical Engineering

Type: Full-Time

Posting Number: req24050

Department: Materials Science & Engr

Location: Main Campus

Address: 1235 E. James E. Rogers Way, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA

Position Highlights

The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) department is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The ideal candidate is capable of research combining experimental characterization with computational modeling of process-structure-property of structural alloys (aluminum, steels, superalloys). Desired qualifications include strong background in metallurgy, micromechanics or crystal plasticity of metallic materials, hands-on skills in one of the following: microstructure characterization, mechanical testing, or nondestructive evaluation of alloys; familiarity with finite element methods. Skills and experience in programming, machine learning, or signal processing are all considered a plus.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Duties & Responsibilities

Research and Scholarly Activities

• Conduct independent and collaborative research.
• Design experiments, develop models, and analyze results.
• Maintain accurate records of methods, data, and results.
• Present findings at internal group/project meetings.
• Support the development of lab protocols, workflows and best practices.

Publication and Dissemination

• Prepare high-quality manuscripts for major peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to conference presentations.
• Assist with progress reports.

Mentorship and Training

• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students in research projects.
• Provide training on experiments, simulations, and data analysis.

Grant and Proposal Development

• Contribute to writing grant proposals.
• Identify new funding opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Strong skillsets in metallurgy, crystal plasticity, and/or mechanics of materials.
• At least two years of hands-on knowledge in microstructure characterization, metallography (sample preparation), mechanical testing, or non-destructive evaluation of metals and alloys.
• Hands-on experience skillsets with finite element methods (ABAQUS), programming languages (Python, MATLAB, C++), experience in signal processing.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, abilities in scientific visualization and illustration.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field conferred by the time of hire.
• First-author publications in major peer reviewed journals on metallurgy or mechanics of materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in machine learning or signal processing.
• Experience with ABAQUS subroutines (UMAT, VUMAT).
• Understanding of acoustics.
• Programming skills (Python or similar).
• Strong abilities in scientific visualization and illustration.

FLSA: Exempt

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week: 40

Job FTE: 1.0

Work Calendar: Fiscal

Job Category: Research

Benefits Eligible: Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay: NIH salary guidelines, Depends on Experience

Compensation Type: salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies: 1