Duties
- Apply knowledge and skills related to physical and chemical sciences to support the creation of value-added products from plant-derived polymers.
- Conduct laboratory experiments to develop structure-process-property relationships for material compositions fully or partially based on plant-derived polymers, such starch, cellulose, and/or lignin.
- Test innovative material concepts for the utilization of plant-derived polymers for potential application in a variety of end-use markets.
- Use data generated for preparing patent disclosures, manuscripts for journal publications, and conference presentations.
- Collaborate with other scientists and technicians to accomplish research tasks and effectively utilize organization resources.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
- Appropriations Law and Immigration Law requirements must be met.
Qualifications
This position requires a Ph.D. in a science field such as materials engineering, mechanical engineering, polymer science, polymer chemistry, polymer engineering, organic chemistry, material science, chemical engineering, chemistry, analytical chemistry, or a related physical science field of study that has equipped the applicant with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Knowledge of plant-based polymers and techniques for their chemical and/or physical modification is highly desirable.
Applicants must meet basic Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standard’s requirements (noted below) of at least one of the scientific disciplines necessary to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Materials Engineering (0806) and Mechanical Engineering (0830) Series:
A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET (http://www.abet.org/); or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
- Salary$72,553Â – $94,317 per year
- Pay scale & gradeGS 11
- Location1 vacancy in the following location:
- Remote jobNo
- Telework eligibleYes—as determined by the agency policy.
- Travel RequiredOccasional travel – You may be expected to travel for this position.
- Relocation expenses reimbursedNo
- Appointment typeTerm – 2 years
- Work scheduleFull-time
- ServiceExcepted
- Promotion potential11
- Job family (Series)
- Supervisory statusNo
- Security clearanceNot Required
- Drug testNo
- Position sensitivity and riskNon-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
- Trust determination process
- Financial disclosureNo
- Bargaining unit statusYes