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Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education · 1 day ago

USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellow in Cotton Quality & Innovation Research

New Orleans, LA

Full-time

Onsite

New Grad

$70K/yr - $70K/yr

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is offering a postdoctoral fellowship focused on cotton quality and innovation research. The role involves conducting research on cotton fiber science, developing value-added functionalities, and collaborating with a team to enhance agricultural solutions.

Government Administration

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Research and development emphasis will be placed on cotton fiber science and new product discovery areas where consumer and industrial needs are unmet and value the use of domestically grown cotton

The fellow's investigation and tech transfer goals will focus on components of the whole cotton fiber as may be applied to develop functional nonwoven or woven fabrics, films, solid composites and medical devices

The development of value-added functionality will have particular focus on: Skin-contacting fabrics with wound healing and antimicrobial; Nanomaterials that enhance agricultural crop protection, and; Material strength and high specific surface area performance value

The participant will contribute to a collaborative research program focused on understanding the cotton based (barrier protective) nanofiber materials and related applications

Results generated through this project will be communicated to the scientific community through conference presentations and peer reviewed publications

The participant will develop an understanding of cotton fibers as a textile material through chemical transformations and mechanical construction taking into consideration fiber morphology and other characteristics

The participant will learn many innovative techniques (electrospinning, microencapsulation, and layer-by-layer) related the chemical modification of cotton and other natural fibers, nanoparticle synthesis and applications, and a deeper understanding of industrial pilot scale manufacturing techniques for woven and nonwoven fabrics through interactions and collaborations with commercial stakeholders

To accomplish this, the participant will collaborate in a research team that includes chemist, textile engineer, and material scientist

When completed, the participant will have a thorough understanding of chemical modifications and finishings of cotton fiber textiles, and with opportunities to developing scientific communication skills through presentations and manuscript preparation findings to stakeholders and academic conferences

Qualification

Polymer ChemistryElectrospinningNanoparticle SynthesisOrganic ChemistryTextile ChemistryFlame RetardantMicroencapsulationLayer-by-LayerSpectroscopic MethodsResearch CommunicationData AnalysisExperiment Planning

Required

Currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields

Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only

Degree: Doctoral Degree

Preferred

A knowledge of the principles of organic, fiber, polymer or textile chemistries

Preferred skills in following experience: Flame Retardant, Electrospinning, Microencapsulation and Layer-by-Layer

Experience in polymer chemistry, multistep synthesis, and/or nanoparticle synthesis

Experience in analyzing XRD, SEM, TGA/FTIR, NMR and other spectroscopic methods

Ability to independently create novel chemical research approaches, plan and execute experiments, draw conclusions, record data, summarize and communicate research results in oral and written format, and draft manuscripts suitable for publication in peer reviewed scientific journals