Call for applications: graduate student researcher (PhD student) and postdoctoral associates on LCA research

Abstract

Modern societies generate and mobilize chemicals of enormous diversity and quantity. However, our understanding of the life cycle environmental impacts of chemicals and materials has not kept pace with new discoveries or with the production scale of chemicals. Development of a rapid, early stage tool to evaluate life cycle impacts has a broad relevance to industry, government, and academic communities. We have received a significant amount of funding to develop the science, data, and the tool that will enable an open-access, online platform, the Chemical Life-Cycle Builder (CLB) for early stage life cycle environmental evaluation of chemicals and materials. We have 12 industrial, governmental, and academic partners throughout the world that will collaborate under this project. The project will be conducted by a multidisciplinary team of experts, representing life cycle assessment (LCA); database development; fate, transport, and toxicity modeling; chemical engineering and chemical process design; sustainable chemistry; and materials science. The project will be a crystallization of cutting-edge approaches from each of these fields and offers a fertile ground for world-class research. The PhD researchers and postdoctoral associates recruited for this project will be given the opportunity to participate in the research program, collaborate with our partners, and join our rich training and internship programs. Depending on the qualifications, we will provide tuition, fees, stipend, travel funds, and other benefits for the PhD researchers and postdoctoral associates. For postdoctoral associates, we will offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience.