Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Mechanical Engineering

Post Doctoral

General Information

Mechanical engineering
English
3

Position Details

Post Doctoral
24 month
70000 USD
90 USD
Sep 30, 2024 16 Months ago
Jan 01, 2025 13 Months ago

About the Position

Potential postdoctoral candidates should hold a PhD degree in related disciplines such as mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, applied physics related to the powder technology targeted for commercialization. They should be able to work independently and with modest scientific mentoring to implement the vision of Prof. Gopalakrishnan and the startup company to be launched soon to achieve commercialization goals.A Ph.D. with emphasis on research related to powder or aerosol technologies. Advanced ABD’s may be considered if degree completion is imminent by the start date. Strong oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills, including a proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team.Desired Qualifications: (Ideal applicant; applicants without these skills will be considered).· Strong record of prior publication in areas related to aerosol or powder technology. · Strong interest in translational research related to powder or aerosol technology and desire to pursue prototype development related to patented ultrasonic powder dispersion technology developed in Prof. Gopalakrishnan’s group.· Strong interest in working in a lab environment carrying out fabrication, testing, and development of aerosol generation devices.· Strong interest in contributing to the preparation of competitive funding proposals to secure funding from government and private sources for technology commercialization.Preferred Qualifications (not required but would be welcome):- Previous entrepreneurial experience (e.g., NSF I-corps, SBIR or STTR related activities, working in a startup)Postdoctoral associate will work with Prof. Ranganathan Gopalakrishnan and his research group in a highly collaborative environment to conceive experiments, conduct research, and analyze data to develop commercial prototypes based on a patented ultrasonic powder dispersion method invented by Prof. Gopalakrishnan and his research group members.

Research Interests

  • Aerosols
  • Applied Physics
  • Dusty plasmas
  • Gas-phase Chemical Physics
  • Powder Dispersion

About the Professor

Bio

Dr. Ranganathan Gopalakrishnan received a Bachelors in Technology (Mechanical Engineering) degree from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli in 2008. He graduated with a PhD from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2013 specializing in aerosol physics. He did postdoctoral studies at California Institute of Technology and University of California – Berkeley, worked as a lecturer at The University of Iowa before joining the University of Memphis in 2016 as an assistant professor. He is currently an Associate Professor and the Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Memphis. His research interests include applied physics topics in aerosols, plasmas, and powder technology specializing in particle transport processes. In his career so far, he has published 25 peer reviewed journal articles in leading journals such as Physical Review E, Journal of Aerosol Science, Aerosol Science and Technology, Powder Technology, Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, Physics of Plasmas, and 1 US patent related to powder technology. He has received ~$1.9 million as research support from federal agencies such as NSF, DOE, ARO including the Early Career Award from the US Department of Energy (Office of Fusion Energy Sciences) to conduct fundamental research on strongly coupled dusty plasmas. He enjoys teaching courses in the fluid and thermal sciences areas, numerical and mathematical methods, and experimental techniques at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Professor's Interests
Applied Physics Gas-phase Chemical Physics Powder Dispersion Dusty plasmas Aerosols

Duties and Responsibilities

  • A Ph.D. with emphasis on research related to powder or aerosol technologies.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills, including a proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Exam Requirements

GRE-General
Verbal
150 Percentile 60
Quantitative
155 Percentile 60
Writing
4 Percentile 60
IELTS
Listening
6
Reading
6
Writing
6
Speaking
6
Overall
6
TOEFL
Listening
20
Reading
20
Writing
20
Speaking
20
Overall
80

Other Requirements & Additional Info

Please see the following links for more information: US patent describing this technology: https://patents.google.com/patent/US11358112B2/en Peer-review articles describing this technology:Aerosol Science and Technology journal: https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2018.1559920 Powder Technology journal: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2020.08.009