Research Officer in Accelerated Materials Discovery & Self-Driving Lab for Li-ion Battery Materials

Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

* The Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.

Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.

City: Mississauga 

Organizational Unit: Clean Energy Innovation

Classification: RO 

Tenure: Term 

Duration: 1 year from start date 

Language Requirements: English 

Note: Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position will require full-time physical presence at the NRC work location identified.

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.

We are looking for a Research Officer (RO) with experience in a variety of accelerated materials discovery and/or process optimization aspects to be at the forefront of our accelerated material discovery/process optimization platforms at the NRC Research Facility in Mississauga. The selected candidate would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity.

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 Clean Energy Innovation Research Center Mississauga (CEI-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 work with a team that possesses focused skill sets (subject matter expert, AI/ML, robotics and automation etc.) to address specific areas of the project. However, you will serve as the primary orchestrator to realize a successful self-driving laboratory, and be directly involved in all aspects from conception, development, testing, operation, and deployment. You will lead autonomous materials discovery or process optimization campaigns, utilizing a validated self-driving laboratory, and be responsible for project definition, budget, timeline, and regular reporting of project progress to program managers and team lead.

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 CEI-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!
 

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

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

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.
Experience with AI/ML approaches and data science, in particular as it relates to their application with experimental data and/or experimental optimization.
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.

 Reliability Status

English 

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• Knowledge of inorganic material synthesis for energy applications, knowledge of high-throughput experimentation and/or proven experience working with automation would be considered an asset.
• 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.

• 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)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile: Research

View all competency profiles

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. 

NOTE: Please note that the full RO/RCO salary scale has five levels. Salary determination will be based on a review of the candidate’s expertise, outcomes and impacts of their previous work experience relative to the requirements of the level.  As such, the initial salary could be within another level of the RO/RCO salary scale (i.e. above or below the intended level for this position).

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 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.

We bring together the brightest minds to deliver tangible impacts on the lives of Canadians and people around the world. And now, we want to partner with you.  Let your expertise and inspirations make an impact by joining the NRC.

At the NRC Employee wellness matters. We offer flexible work schedules as well as part-time work to help employees maintain work-life balance. We are one of the few federal organizations that close our offices during the December holiday season.  We offer professional learning and development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, and a suite of mentorship, award and recognition programs. Diversity enables creativity and innovation. Fostering a diverse, inclusive, welcoming and supportive workplace is important to us, and contributes to a more inclusive Canadian innovation system. We welcome all qualified applicants and encourage you to complete the employment equity self-declaration questions during the job application process. Please let us know of any accommodation measures required to help you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Please note that the information you provide will be treated confidentially. 

Help us solve problems for Canada. Grow your career with us today!

• Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC's directives.
• ​A pre-qualified list may be established for similar positions for a one-year period.
• This position is being advertised internally and externally simultaneously; however, first consideration will be given to internal NRC applicants.
• Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
• The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
• We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Please direct your questions, with the requisition number (21651) to:

E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone : 343-574-0788 

Closing Date: 12 April 2024 - 11:59 Eastern Time

For more information on career tools and other resources, check out Career tools and resources

*If you are currently a term or continuing employee at NRC, please apply through the SuccessFactors Careers module from your NRC computer.