Research Officer in Accelerated Materials Discovery

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada's Success.

Help bring research to life and drive your career forward with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada's largest research and technology organization.

You will be working in a team environment with researchers and technical experts in world-class facilities. This work will involve you playing a leading role in the design, development, and orchestration of self-driving laboratories (material acceleration platforms) at Energy Mining and Environment Mississauga (EME-M). This role will be highly collaborative, leading a project involving a multi-disciplinary team of mechatronics, design and automation engineers, electrochemists, process engineers, and AI/ML experts to realize self-driving laboratories towards new material discoveries.

In this role, you will be responsible for all aspects of the self-driving laboratory, including but not limited to:

- Planning and guiding the experimental workflow process, including helping to procure automated equipment.
- Transitioning from benchtop experimentation to automation and high-throughput methods in synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation.
- Creating automated workflows for data handling and post-processing.
- Working with AI/ML specialists to develop optimization algorithms and integrating them into the experimental process.

You will have an active role in the development of the roadmap for future material exploration. This role will also require you to consider how the self-driving laboratory fits into the larger scope of the EME-M vision of accelerated materials discovery and process optimization.

Being in a dynamic position means that the workdays are always evolving, challenging and motivating. This role will require you to stretch yourself beyond traditional experimental and/or laboratory roles. You are a self-starter who can excel in an evolving and exciting R&D environment and provide input into the direction and priorities of R&D activities that will be set forth by this new initiative in Mississauga. If you are that person and the concept of pushing laboratory experimentation towards a new paradigm, proposal and research direction development, and the development of relationships with research collaborators excites you, then this may be the perfect role for you

**Screening Criteria**:
**Education**:
PhD in Materials Science/Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or a similar domain.

A Master’s degree with high alignment to the position may also be considered.

For information on certificates and diplomas issued abroad, please see Degree equivalency

**Experience**:
Recent experience in the energy materials domain of battery and/or other energy storage materials with recent experience regarding the synthesis, characterization, and performance testing of these materials.
Experience with concepts of laboratory automation and/or hands-on experience working with automated equipment.
Recent experience in leading research projects involving a multidisciplinary team.

Assets:
Experience working in an agile environment would be considered an asset.
Experience in Python would be an asset.
Experience with robotics and mechatronics would be an asset.

**Condition of Employment**:
Reliability Status

**Language Requirements**:
English

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

**Assessment Criteria**:
**Technical Competencies**:

- Knowledge of electrochemistry.
- Knowledge of data science (statistics and quality control) as it relates to experimental data and ability to automate data storage, curation, and post-processing of experimental results.
- Ability to manage research projects and stakeholder relationships.
- Familiar with writing their own automation scripts for instrument control or data handling (eg. python of equivalent) would be considered a strong asset.

**Behavioural Competencies**:

- Research - Communication (Level 3)
- Research - Initiative (Level 2)
- Research - Results orientation (Level 2)
- Research - Self-knowing and self-development (Level 2)
- Research - Teamwork (Level 2)

**Competency Profile(s)**:
**Compensation**:
The intent of this hiring action is to staff this position at the **AsRo or AcRO** level, which is **an early-mid-career** level position with a salary range of **$80,523** to **$133,853**.

NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including comprehensive health and dental plans, vacation, sick, and other leave entitlements, disability insurance and pension plans.

**The NRC Advantage**:
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the Government of Canada's largest research organization supporting industrial innovation, the advancement of knowledge and technology development. We collaborate with over 70 colleges, universities and hospitals annually, work with 800 companies on their projects, and provide advice or funding to over 8000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) each year.

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