Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Water and the Environment Full-time

Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Water and the Environment

Hiring Department: Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt

Earliest Start Date: Feb 01, 2026

Position Duration: Expected to Continue Until Mar 01, 2030

Location: PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS

General Notes

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation's most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin – named “America's Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report – the Cockrell School embodies the city's innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google, and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.

At UT Austin, we say “What starts here changes the world.” As a member of the university community, you will be part of an organization that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will have meaning and make a difference not only in the lives of our faculty, staff, and students, but also those who are impacted by our first class academic and research programs.

UT Austin provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with 7.75% employer matching funds
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities
• Tuition assistance
• Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets
• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID card
• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card

Purpose

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to strengthen the synthetic chemistry section of our laboratory. The successful candidate will be an expert in supramolecular chemistry with strong experience in organic synthesis and will contribute to the design and synthesis of small organic molecules, including biomimetic artificial ion transporters for nutrient and metal ions. This position offers an exciting opportunity to help shape a growing research program and to work on cutting-edge projects at the interface of synthetic chemistry and membrane science.

Responsibilities

• Conduct multi-step organic synthesis and polymer synthesis
• Expertise and interest in retrosynthesis and development of new synthesis schemes
• Characterization of artificial and biological ion channels.
• Plan, execute, and analyze experiments independently.
• Fabricate different type of lipid and/or polymeric membranes
• Conduct experiments to evaluate membrane ion–ion separation performance.
• Maintain accurate experimental records and prepare data for publications and presentations.
• Work effectively in a collaborative, team-oriented research environment.
• Assist in the preparation of research proposals and grant applications.
• Be the point person for putting reports together for funding agencies
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students, as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field, completed by the start date of the appointment and be within 3 years of receipt of doctoral degree.
• Demonstrated expertise in organic synthesis, including multi-step synthesis and compound characterization.
• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience with ion and/or water transport assays across lipid and/or polymeric membranes.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with transport measurements, including electrophysiological measurements, stopped-flow–based measurements, and other common spectroscopic assays.

Salary Range

$ 61,093+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work with hazardous chemicals
• May work with compressed gas cylinders
• May work with high pressure and temperature equipment
• May work around standard office conditions
• Use of manual dexterity

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility: Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You