The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work in the Bioenergy and Biotechnology Laboratory led by Dr Stephanie Lansing httpsagnrumdeduaboutdirectorystephanie lansing at the University of Maryland in the Department of Environmental Science amp Technology researching fermentation and microbial fuel cell MFCs technology from in oceanic environments The marine MFC system will be fed with marine organic matter OM that is collected concentrated and fermented in a separate chamber with the resulting metabolites ie volatile fatty acids VFAs passing directly from the fermentation chamber to the MFC to provide energy to the exoelectrogenic microbesResponsibilities Develop methods to incorporate fermentation of microscopic marine OM prior to MFC processing Analyze marine OM substrates for volatile fatty acids VFAs nutrients and other properties Design a fermentation chamber for oceanic environments Test the fermentation chamber with MFC in pilot scale and marine deployments for electric output Operate and maintain all scientific instrumentation Develop a data evaluation tooltechnique to store large datasets across multiple teams Contribute to monthly quarterly and annual report writing and scientific publications Minimum Qualifications Background knowledge and experience is needed in MFCs dark fermentation anaerobic digestion volatile fatty acid production and use of complex substrates such as marine OM PhD in engineering chemistry environmental science or relevant field with a focus on waste treatment and microbial transformations Experience analyzing VFAs and solids using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry Ability to work effectively in a fast paced interdisciplinary team environment Strong oral and written communication skills including oral presentations at scientific conferences and written peer reviewed journal articles Ability to work in person in a laboratory environment in Maryland To Apply Include CV including list of publications Two page cover letter single spaced that outlines the following your area of interest relevant experience in MFCs and arrested anaerobic digestion use of relevant analytical equipment toperform this work and how you meet each of the qualifications and responsibilities in the jobdescription