Research Positions at Northwestern University
- Energy*Chemistry Fellows
- Post-Doctoral fellowship in multi-junction perovskite solar cells
Energy*Chemistry Fellows
Area of Research: A considerable portion of our group’s research focuses at the energy*chemistry nexus. This field is going through rapid disruption. On the one hand, electricity and industry need to decarbonize. Yet must happen while global demand for electricity rises due to data centers/AI and increased industrial electricity use.
We seek to attract innovators who will:
- Look holistically at low-carbon electricity, but also at legacy energy, carbon, chemicals, fuels, durable goods – their abundance and their cost and their future demand and their carbon intensities – and develop a compelling, quantitatively-informed, vision of R&D priorities based on an original analysis of long-term secular trends;
- Propose projects that may include elements of:
- Energy-efficient and selective carbon and hydrocarbon transformations, including modular ones that are capital-efficient and can be placed at the point of resource availability;
- System innovation, including hybrids system that can potentially combine one or more of plasma chemistry, thermochemistry, electrochemistry, biocatalysis;
- Physicochemical modeling at the atomistic and molecular levels; at the device level (e.g. electron, ion, chemical species, flows), and at the systems level (e.g. materials and energy flows and balances; chemical engineering process simulations).
Description of Duties: Successful candidates will place their major focus on achieving original first-authored publications in interdisciplinary academic journals. They will work effectively in a team environment and will value the chance to reach across disciplines, and to work with partners in industry and at our partner U.S. Department of Energy national labs. Fellows will take advantage of the opportunity to increase their mentoring skills, helping doctoral students to develop as next-generation scientists-engineers.
Essential Qualifications:
- Applicants must have received, or be close to receiving, their PhD degree in an area of science or engineering.
- Applicants are sought who have backgrounds in diverse fields of engineering and science including organic chemistry, materials chemistry, plasma physics, membrane engineering and membrane science, thermochemistry and electrochemistry, mass transport, spectroscopy, batteries, thermoelectrics, chemical process science and engineering.
Salary: $61,008 USD/year
Expected Start Date: August 1, 2025, or soon thereafter
Appointment: Term – (12 months) with the potential for renewal
How to apply:
Please include in your application package a cover letter; your full academic CV; information on 2 referees that are prepared to be consulted; your two most relevant publications. Please send as a single combined PDF whose file name includes your first and last names to Melissa Rosen (melissa.rosen@northwestern.edu) with the subject line Energy Chemistry Fellows. Evaluation of candidates will begin immediately and continue until filled.
Please note that, if you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to outline a vision of future trends and problems at the energy * chemistry nexus; and to propose at least one potential research project that tackles a core problem in the sector.
Posting Date: May 8, 2025
Closing Date: Jun 15, 2025
A sampling of relevant recent group publications:
Electrified synthesis of n-propanol using a dilute alloy catalyst
Authors: Yuanjun Chen, Xinyue Wang, Xiao-Yan Li, Rui Kai Miao, Juncai Dong, Zilin Zhao, Chuhao Liu, Jianan Erick Huang, Jinhong Wu, Senlin Chu, Weiyan Ni, Zunmin Guo, Yi Xu, Pengfei Ou, Bingjun Xu, Yang Hou, David Sinton & Edward H. Sargent
Volume/Number: Nature Catalysis, DOI: 10.1038/s41929-025-01301-0
Year: 2025
Efficient ethylene electrosynthesis through C–O cleavage promoted by water dissociation
Authors: Yongxiang Liang, Feng Li, Rui Kai Miao, Sunpei Hu, Weiyan Ni, Shuzhen Zhang, Yanjiang Liu, Yang Bai, Haoyue Wan, Pengfei Ou, Xiao-Yan Li, Ning Wang, Sungjin Park, Fengwang Li, Jie Zeng, David Sinton & Edward H. Sargent
Volume/Number: Nature Synthesis, DOI: 10.1038/s44160-024-00568-8
Year: 2024
Efficient CO and acrolein co-production via paired electrolysis
Authors: Xue Wang, Peihao Li, Jason Tam, Jane Y. Howe, Colin P. O’Brien, Armin Sedighian Rasouli, Rui Kai Miao, Yuan Liu, Adnan Ozden, Ke Xie , Jinhong Wu, David Sinton & Edward H. Sargent
Volume/Number: Nature Sustainability, DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01363-1
Year: 2024
Progress and roadmap for electro-privileged transformations of bio-derived molecules
Authors: Cong Tian, Roham Dorakhan, Joshua Wicks, Zhu Chen, Kyoung-Shin Choi, Nirala Singh, Joshua A. Schaidle, Adam Holewinski, Aleksandra Vojvodic, Dionisios G. Vlachos, Linda J. Broadbelt & Edward H. Sargent
Volume/Number: Nature Catalysis, DOI: 10.1038/s41929-024-01131-6
Year: 2024
Efficient multicarbon formation in acidic CO2 reduction via tandem electrocatalysis
Authors: Y. Chen, X. Li, Z. Chen, A. Ozden, J. E. Huang, P. Ou, J. Dong, J. Zhang, C. Tian, B. Lee, X. Wang, S. Liu, Q. Qu, S. Wang, Y. Xu, R. K. Miao, Y. Zhao, Y. Liu, C. Qiu, J. Abed, H. Liu, H. Shin, D. Wang, Y. Li, D. Sinton, E. H. Sargent
Volume/Number: Nature Nanotechnology, 10.1038/s41565-023-01543-8
Year: 2023
Selective electrochemical synthesis of urea from nitrate and CO2 via relay catalysis on hybrid catalyst
Authors: . Luo, K. Xie, P. Ou, C. Lavallais, T. Peng, Z. Chen, Z. Zhang, N. Wang, X. Li, I. Grigioni, B. Liu, D. Sinton, J. B. Dunn, E. H. Sargent
Volume/Number: Nature Catalysis, DOI:10.1038/s41929-023-01020-4
Year: 2023
Cationic-group-functionalized electrocatalysts enable stable acidic CO2 electrolysis
Authors: Mengyang Fan, Jianan Erick Huang, Rui Kai Miao, Yu Mao, Pengfei Ou, Feng Li, Xiao-Yan Li, Yufei Cao, Zishuai Zhang, Jinqiang Zhang, Yu Yan, Adnan Ozden, Weiyan Ni, Ying Wang, Yong Zhao, Zhu Chen, Behrooz Khatir, Colin P. O’Brien , Yi Xu, Yurou Celine Xiao, Geoffrey I. N. Waterhouse, Kevin Golovin, Ziyun Wang, Edward H. Sargent & David Sinton
Volume/Number: Nature Catalysis/ DOI: 10.1038/s41929-023-01003-5
Year: 2023
Post-Doctoral fellowship in multi-junction perovskite solar cells
Prof. Mercouri Kanatzidis and Edward Sargent are seeking highly motivated and talented Postdoctoral Fellows to join our research team in synthesizing key functional materials, developing device prototypes, and characterizing next-generation multi-junction solar cells and modules. Our specific programs include the development of efficient and stable wide bandgap (>1.6 eV), mid bandgap (1.5-1.6 eV) and narrow bandgap (1-1.3 eV) perovskite solar devices. The successful candidates will have a strong background in materials science, chemistry, or a related field, with experience in synthesizing and characterizing novel materials for optoelectronic applications.
Responsibilities:
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Focus on achieving original first-authored publications in interdisciplinary academic journals.
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Design and optimize synthetic routes for fabricating high-quality perovskite materials, utilizing various synthesis techniques including solution-based methods and other relevant techniques.
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Prototype solar cell devices and conduct electrical and photophysical characterizations
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Mentor and supervise graduate students and research assistants working on related projects.
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Contribute to grant writing and actively seek external funding opportunities to support ongoing research efforts.
Qualifications:
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Ph.D. in materials science, chemistry, physics, or a related field
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Strong background and expertise in materials synthesis and characterization techniques
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Familiarity with multi-junction solar cells and relevant device physics.
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Experience with reliability and accelerated testing
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Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative research environment
Salary: $61,008 USD/year
Expected Start Date: Feb 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter
Appointment: Term – (12 months) with the potential for renewal
