Post Doctoral Fellow

Post Doctoral Fellow

Posting Number req36742

Employment Type Faculty

Faculty Type Visiting

Hiring Department Chemical and Biological Engineering (326A)

Academic Location School of Engineering

Campus Main - Albuquerque, NM

Benefits Eligible Postdoctoral Fellows may be eligible to receive certain UNM benefits . See the Benefits home page for more information.

Position Summary

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Sustainable Bioinspired Materials Laboratory (SBML) led by Prof. Sungjin Kim. This position focuses on advanced materials engineering, specifically utilizing bioinspired, bioderived material platforms such as cellulose-based materials. The successful candidate will transition conventional cellulose-based systems (e.g., papers, plant-derived materials) into high-throughput analytical interfaces by combining printable polymer networks, functional dynamic coatings, and additive manufacturing. This research bridges structural materials design with high-impact, translational applications in biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and resource recovery.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities Materials Synthesis & Interface Engineering: Design, functionalize, and characterize advanced polymer networks and dynamic coatings on cellulose-based substrates to engineer active organic-inorganic interfaces.

Additive Manufacturing & Characterization: Utilize 3D printing technologies (including extrusion-based and vat photopolymerization techniques) to microfabricate high-density, reproducible paper arrays and fluidic routing architectures.

Dissemination of Research: Prepare and submit high-quality research findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and present findings at national and international professional conferences.

Proposal & Grant Development: Assist the PI in the preparation and writing of federal and foundation grant proposals to secure external funding.

Laboratory Leadership & Mentorship: Provide day-to-day guidance, experimental design support, and technical training to graduate and undergraduate students within the laboratory.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, or a closely related field by the start date of appointment

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong background in material-biointerface functionalization, cellulose-based material development and engineering, additive manufacturing, and/or the design of functional hybrid materials.
• Demonstrated record of research productivity evidenced by first-author publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Experience with different quantitative materials characterization techniques, including thermomechanical characterizations, spectroscopy, microscopy, data analysis pipelines, and IT skillsets to generate scientific documents, figures, and datasets.

Application Instructions

Only applications submitted through the official UNMJobs site will be accepted. If you are viewing this job advertisement on a 3rd party site, please visit UNMJobs to submit an application.

Please fill out the online application and attach a current CV and an official transcript with your degree

Applicants who are appointed to a UNM faculty position are required to provide an official certification of successful completion of all degree requirements prior to their initial employment with UNM.

For Best Consideration For best consideration, please apply by . This position will remain open until filled.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.