Job Description

Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and M\xc3\xa9tis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

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

City: Mississauga

Organizational Unit: Energy, Mining and Environment

Classification: RO

Tenure: Term

Duration: until March 2027

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.

This posting is to fill two term positions until March 2027.

Position 1 - Accelerated Materials Discovery & Self-Driving Laboratory for Li-ion Battery Materials

Position 2 - Accelerated Process Optimization & Self-Driving Laboratory for Critical Minerals Extraction & Purification

The NRC Advantage

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada\'s Success.

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, we know that diversity enables excellence in research and innovation. We are committed to a diverse and representative workforce, a safe and respectful work environment, and contributing 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.

Your Challenge

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 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 :

• the conception and direction of the experimental workflow,
• benchtop-to-automation/high throughput experimentation development as it relates to synthesis, characterization, and performance measurements,
• development of the data handling and post-processing automation workflow,
• working with AI/ML experts for optimization algorithm development and associated experts for integration into the experimental workflow.

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 also take on the role of project manager, 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 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

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:

Education

PhD in Materials Science/Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or a similar domain

For information on certificates and diplomas issued abroad, please see

Experience

• 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. Experience working in an agile environment would be considered an asset.
• Significant experience in the preparation of scientific publications and new research proposals.
• Experience with robotics and mechatronics woud be an asset.

Candidate need to have experience in one of the following :

• Recent experience in the materials domain of battery and/or other energy storage materials (eg. supercapacitors), with recent experience regarding the synthesis, characterization, and performance testing of these materials.

OR

• Recent experience in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy, with a focus in extraction and purification.

Condition of Employment

Reliability Status

Language Requirements

English

Assessment Criteria

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

Technical Competencies

• Knowledge of machine learning / AI methods and their applications to experimental data.
• 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.

Candidates need to possess one of the following

• Ability to conduct battery materials research (inorganic-oxide materials), including their synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical performance evaluation.

OR

• Knowledge of hydrometallurgical processing pertaining to battery materials (eg. Li, Ni, Co, Fe, and Mn).

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)

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

Relocation

Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC\'s directives.

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 $74,230 to $123,393.

NOTE: Please note that the full 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 including comprehensive health and dental plans, pension and insurance plans, vacation and other leave entitlements.

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Notes

• 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.

Please direct your questions, with the requisition number (19828) to:

E-mail:

: 438-304-7562

Closing Date: 31 July 2023 - 23:59 Eastern Time

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

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

Date modified: This page is updated continuously.

National Research Council Canada