Postdoctoral Fellow (Hacking Materials Group)

Berkeley Lab’s Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Division (ESDR) is looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join their Hacking Materials Group!

Today, new tools and data sources are enabling an informatics-based approach to materials design. In this role, you will apply natural language processing to extract information from research literature and apply it to training machine learning models.

What You Will Do:

• Develop and use software libraries to crawl large libraries of text-based materials information that is publicly available.

• Design and maintain databases of materials properties.

• Develop web interfaces for searching materials information.

• Use data mining to better understand relationships between materials properties.

What is Required:

• A recent Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field.

• Knowledge of programming and building software infrastructure; object-oriented programming, databases (MongoDB preferred), software engineering practice (version control, unit testing, continuous integration). 

• Experience with natural language processing.

• Strong analytical experience with statistical analysis.

• Demonstrated ability to learn data mining, data analysis, and to contribute to a large software framework.

• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills that facilitate interdisciplinary work with multiple collaborators.

• Strong publication history.

What We Prefer:

• Programming experience with Python.

• Experience developing and maintaining databases of materials data.

• Experience with web development (HTML/CSS/JQuery, frameworks e.g. Flask)

• Experience in the field of materials informatics.

For full consideration, please apply by close of business on October 23, 2020 with the following application materials:

• Cover Letter - Describe your interest in this position and the relevance of your background.

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume.

Notes:

• This is a full time, exempt from overtime pay (monthly paid), 1 year, postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds, and ongoing operational needs.  You must have less than 4 years of paid postdoctoral experience. 

• Salaries for postdoctoral positions depend on years of experience post-degree and are predetermined based on postdoctoral step rates.

• This position is represented by a union for collective bargaining purposes.

• This position may be subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.

• This position will be performed remotely initially until early 2021 due to COVID-19 but limited to individuals currently residing in the United States. Once the Bay Area shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted, work may be performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.

Learn About Us:

Berkeley Lab (LBNL) addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division (ESDR) works on developing advanced batteries and fuel cells for transportation and stationary energy storage, grid-connected technologies for a cleaner, more reliable, resilient, and cost-effective future, and demand-responsive and distributed energy technologies for a dynamic electric grid.

The Hacking Materials Group leverages advances in theoretical materials science, supercomputing, and informatics to understand and design new materials for renewable energy applications.

Berkeley Lab’s Postdoc Program is committed to providing Postdoctoral Researchers and Visiting scholars with a positive and impactful experience to jump-start their career through premium research and career development, networking opportunities, mentoring programs, and a strong community.  For more information, please visit our Berkeley Lab Postdoc Resources site and our Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association site.

Berkeley Lab is committed to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability (IDEA) and strives to hire individuals who share these same values and commitments.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. Click here to view the poster and supplement: "Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law."