Job Description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category M&P - AAPS

Job Title Scientific Engineer C

Department Research | E.Asselin | Department of Materials Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science (Edouard Asselin)

Posting End Date July 10, 2023

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date Jul 31, 2024

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Summary

The job will involve overall scientific responsibility for investigating the corrosion of pipeline steel and the performance of pipeline coatings in various environments related to possible pipelines operating from Alberta to BC. This will require detailed electrochemical measurements, developing and running computational models for pipeline coating performance, designing and conducting research for model validation, analyzing test data and preparation of project reports. The job will also require other electrochemical research related to corrosion and electrometallurgy to be designed, performed and analyzed either independently or in coordination with other research group staff. Includes financial management of large research projects and coordination of research activities across 2 UBC laboratories.

Organizational Status

The position reports to the program supervisor Dr. Asselin. The research associate (RA) will provide supervisory and direct support to other graduate students in the Corrosion and Hydrometallurgy group at UBC and visiting engineers from the sponsor companies.

Work Performed

Invent, design, develop and analyze the performance of new lab-scale electrochemical cells to simulate electro-kinetic in-situ leaching of metals from ores and include responsibility for chemical assaying of solids and liquids, analysis of results and report writing and presentation.

Synthesize literature information to guide experimental directions in areas relating to pipeline coatings technology, field coatings technology, mineral processing, electrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. For each area of investigation, it will be necessary to design and construct research equipment and protocols suitable for meeting the research goals.

Responsible for sourcing experimental equipment and components, designing new experimental equipment and supervising construction of new experimental equipment.

Develop and program quantitative computational models to predict pipeline coating performance and electrometallurgical cell performance based on research measurements and analyses.
Uses new models generated from first principles and ntegrates measurement data (coating thickness, cathodic disbondment radius, water uptake, reagent consumptions, metal release, current efficiencies) to predict long term field coating or hydrometallurgical cell performance.

Advising on coating selection recommendations and leaching system design recommendations to supporting companies as well as for any other research projects in the Asselin lab that relate to corrosion or hydrometallurgy.

Design and develop electrochemical apparatuses and methods for conducting electro-kinetic in-situ leaching (EKISL) of metals from core and crushed ore samples.

Up-scale the EKISL process to pilot/industrial scale via validation and interpretation of laboratory scale test results.

Engage in electrochemical testing of various types to include, but not limited to, metal electrodeposition, metal electro-oxidation, and the corrosion of metals and alloys in various environments (including high temperature and pressure). Preparation and characterization of various samples using analytical techniques such as microscopy and various spectroscopic methods will also be required.

For all experimental programs the RA will assess and compare research design alternatives. Plan and design the experiments necessary for the research projects. The RA will recommend and/or design alternative or complementary experimental equipment, and construct and modify equipment as required to complete various tasks related to the various projects in the Asselin lab.

Visit sponsor sites with the program supervisor (Dr. Asselin) to present progress on the project deliverables. International travel to sponsor sites for extended periods of time may be required to conduct independent research.

The RA will be responsible for providing training to and supervising graduate students and visiting Engineers in support of selected programs. The training to be given includes orientation to corrosion engineering and pipeline coating procedures, orientation to electrochemical testing techniques, training in hydrometallurgical testing methods, help with experimental setup, analytical procedures and analysis of experimental data, etc.

The RA may be involved in developing ideas for future research and development in collaboration with the program supervisors and sponsor company(s). The RA may also be required to draft proposals for said ideas and will help in grant writing.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Industrial research projects require successful collection of data from the research. Errors in project execution will adversely impact project schedule and the utility of the results reported.

Supervision Received

The position has a high degree of independence in order to achieve objectives of the various research programs which require a high degree of professional skill, organization and motivation. The position reports to the program supervisor Dr. Asselin.

Supervision Given

The supervision given will include day-to-day direction of all relevant Asselin lab staff, selected graduate students and visiting Engineers who will participate in various research projects.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Applied Science. Minimum of five years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one\xe2\x80\x99s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one\xe2\x80\x99s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred: a Ph.D. degree in Materials Engineering with expertise in electrochemical processes and hydrometallurgy. . The successful applicant requires expertise in use of corrosion testing software and hardware. Expert knowledge of electrochemistry, hydrometallurgy and coating technology is required. Expert knowledge in the design and fabrication of electrochemical test cells is required. Proven ability to communicate technical results and analysis in oral and written form in English is required. Proven ability to supervise and organize the work of others and ability to effectively train is also required.

University of British Columbia