Research Fellows - Hydrogen Storage Research Group

Job Reference: 1208231

ARENA Project – Hydrogen Export using a Powder

This research project involves the research, development, and deployment of a new technology to export hydrogen as a powder. The powder is a salt called sodium borohydride that releases hydrogen when added to water. The project will focus on electrochemical production of sodium borohydride powder from sodium borate and various technical challenges to provide a circular hydrogen export value chain. The research component of the project will feed into the research commercial stage, where a pilot facility will be designed and built in Perth to evaluate the technology for large-scale production.
  
This 5-year project is led by John Curtin Distinguished Professor Craig Buckley and will involve a team of 5 academics at Curtin University along with our industry partner, Velox Energy Materials. In addition, 3 research fellows and 3 PhD students will be employed, dedicated to this project. We are currently seeking 2 research fellows to join the team.
  
The project will be undertaken within the Hydrogen Storage Research Group (HSRG) https://research.curtin.edu.au/research-areas/energy-transition/hydrogen-storage-research-group/ and Institute for Energy Transition https://research.curtin.edu.au/ciet/ at Curtin University. There will be access to the John de Laeter Centre (JdLC) https://jdlc.curtin.edu.au/,  which is Curtin’s infrastructure hub with $40M worth of instrumentation (located in the same building as the research team). The research team consists of multidisciplinary experts across the fields of electrochemistry, physics, chemistry, and materials characterisation. The HSRG is led by John Curtin Distinguished Professor Craig Buckley and consists of 8 research staff, over 10 PhD students, and undergraduates working on diverse projects across the field of energy storage. We have a world-class hydrogen storage laboratory and electrochemistry laboratory equipped with several potentiostats and a raft of ancillaries, along with other labs for chemical synthesis, characterisation, and analysis.
  
Your new role

An exciting opportunity exists for 2 Research Fellows to join our multidisciplinary team to work on this existing project and to expand our expertise in the field of electrochemistry.
  
Key duties and responsibilities include:  

• Conduct high-quality research in the electrochemical production of hydrogen-rich materials with other team members. Various production methods, characterisation techniques, analyses, and upscaling will be expected.
• Develop the project objectives to be industry relevant and meet scheduled project milestones.
• Participate in collaborative activities with professional bodies, industry partners, affiliated associations and the wider research community.

You will require current work rights in Australia that match the tenure of this role. Only in limited situations will visa sponsorship situations be considered.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Professor Craig Buckley, John Curtin Distinguished Professor, School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS) via email c.buckley@curtin.edu.au.

About us
 
We are an energetic, dedicated team of academics and professionals working together to provide global solutions through quality graduates and innovative research. Curtin is a welcoming space where integrity, respect for one another, courage, excellence, and impact are essential to everyday life. Situated on Whadjuk Nyungar Country, our vibrant campus includes an art gallery, gym, childcare and medical centre, and endless food options including a supermarket.
  
We encourage a progressive and diverse workplace, offering generous superannuation and salary packaging benefits. We are committed to looking after our employees by promoting health and wellbeing, work flexibility, and personal development opportunities.
  
Western Australia and Perth have a broad range of entertainment opportunities for families and individuals with year-round cultural and sporting events. A family-friendly living environment with excellent transport facilities and little traffic congestion, residents and visitors can enjoy beautiful beaches, vibrant hills communities and world-class education for children. Perth International Airport has regular flights to major cities throughout Asia, e.g. Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia.
  
For more information about our university, please visit www.curtin.edu.au 
  
Join us!

Please provide a cover letter, your CV and a separate document addressing the selection criteria (noted below) to allow us to assess your suitability for this role.
  
Selection criteria:  

• A doctoral qualification in Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related area.
• Have strong expertise in electrochemistry, preferably electrochemical synthesis.
• Experience in catalyst design and preparation.
• Preparation of electrode and/or electrode surfaces.
• Experience in characterisation techniques such as NMR, FTIR, Raman, XRD, electron microscopy, etc.
• Experience in analytical chemistry techniques.
• Familiar with materials characterisation techniques.

To view a copy of the generic Academic Role Statement, please copy and paste the following link into your web browser.
  
https://tinyurl.com/yc5b6r7m 
  
Applications close: 3 pm Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), Tuesday 28th May 2024.

Applicants should note that prior to appointment, any offer of employment is subject to completion of National Police Records checks, and background, integrity, and reference checks to Curtin’s satisfaction. At Curtin, we are committed to being a Child Safe organisation and this position may also require you to have a current Working With Children Check.
  
If you have any queries in relation to the application process, please contact our careers team on curtincareers@curtin.edu.au or 08 9266 9000 (option 3,1) and quote the Job Reference number.
  
Please note we are not accepting applications from recruitment agencies at this time.