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Postdoctoral Associate, CO2 Electrolysis
  • Job Number: 23774
  • Functional Area: Research - Engineering
  • Department: Mechanical Engineering
  • School Area: Engineering
  • Employment Type: Full-Time
  • Employment Category: Exempt
  • Visa Sponsorship Available: Yes
  • Schedule:


Job Description

POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE IN CO2 ELECTROLYSIS, Mechanical Engineering, to join the Varanasi Research Group and contribute to the development of integrated CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion systems to upscale CO2 to valuable chemicals and fuels.  The group has been working on the rapidly advancing CO2 space, with many active projects spanning capture, utilization, and electrochemical conversion at scale. Will design and study catalysts, develop new reaction architectures, and optimize transport of these systems to enable efficient operation as part of a focused multidisciplinary team; and contribute at scientific conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.  The Varanasi Research Group’s mission is to solve important societal challenges in energy, water, biomedical, transportation, agriculture, consumer products, and other industries to enhance efficiency, usher in sustainable products and processes, and improve human outcomes. Its approach lies in fundamentally understanding and controlling physico-chemical interactions governing these phenomena, and accordingly engineering transformative solutions. The group consists of problem solvers who are passionate about entrepreneurship and have formed several start-ups including LiquiGlide, DropWise, Infinite Cooling, Alsym Energy, AgZen, and CoFlo Medical, to translate research from lab to market. 

Job Requirements

REQUIRED:  Ph.D. in mechanical engineering or closely related field.  PREFERRED:  a background in electrochemistry and synthesis and testing of electrocatalysts for CO2 conversion; experience designing, building, and testing bench-scale electrochemical reactors; experience with state-of-the-art analytical techniques (e.g., gas chromatography, NMR, XRD, XPS, ICP, AES); knowledge of CO2 capture technology and infrastructure; and an eye for high-level system design and system optimization;  7experience with techno-economic analyses.  Job #23774 

In addition to applying via the MIT website, interested applicants should email Professor Varanasi at varanasi@mit.edu and attach their full CV and statement of interest.

2/26/24