Postdoctoral Researcher in Field-Assisted Manufacturing of Ceramic and Metals

Company Description

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) is the flagship institution of the State of Maryland and one of the nation’s leading public research universities. UMD advances research, innovation, and entrepreneurship across disciplines and offers extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Located just outside Washington, D.C., the university provides excellent access to federal agencies, national laboratories, research institutions, and technology companies, creating a dynamic environment for research partnerships and professional development.

Role Description

The Postdoctoral Researcher in Field-Assisted Laser Manufacturing of Ceramics and Metals is a full-time, on-site position based in College Park, Maryland. The researcher will conduct experimental and computational studies of advanced manufacturing processes that integrate laser-material interactions with external fields, particularly electric fields, to process ceramic and metallic materials.

Research will focus on understanding and controlling the relationships among processing conditions, multiphysics interactions, microstructural evolution, defects, and material properties. Relevant processes may include laser-triggered flash sintering, field-assisted laser sintering, laser-based additive manufacturing, and related non-equilibrium manufacturing approaches.

The researcher will plan and perform experiments; prepare, process, and characterize ceramic or metallic materials; analyze microstructures and defects; and connect experimental observations with process and microstructure models. The researcher will also prepare high-quality experimental results, publication-ready figures, methods descriptions, journal manuscripts, technical reports, conference presentations, and research proposals. Additional responsibilities include collaborating with faculty, students, and external partners, mentoring student researchers, and supporting safe and effective laboratory operations.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong research background in ceramics, metals, laser materials processing, advanced manufacturing, or materials characterization.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, conduct, troubleshoot, analyze, and document experimental research.
• Strong record of peer-reviewed publications and scholarly research.
• Excellent scientific writing, communication, collaboration, and project-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary experimental and computational research environment.

Required Skills

• Hands-on experience with laser materials processing, field-assisted manufacturing, sintering, additive manufacturing, or related high-temperature processes.
• Experience processing and characterizing ceramic or metallic materials.
• Experience with tomography, microscopy, metallography, and related materials-characterization techniques.
• Ability to quantitatively analyze porosity, densification, grain structure, phases, cracks, defects, and interfaces.
• Experience investigating relationships among processing conditions, microstructural evolution, and material properties.
• Ability to produce reproducible experimental data, publication-quality figures, detailed methods descriptions, and technical summaries.
• Ability to integrate research across material preparation, manufacturing, post-processing, characterization, modeling, and physical interpretation.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with flash sintering, field-assisted laser sintering, laser additive manufacturing, or other non-equilibrium manufacturing processes.
• Experience with oxide or non-oxide ceramics, structural or functional metals, composites, coatings, interfaces, or dissimilar-material systems.
• Experience with X-ray computed tomography, synchrotron characterization, in situ or operando experiments, SEM/EDS, EBSD, or X-ray diffraction.
• Knowledge of laser-material interactions and coupled electrical, thermal, mechanical, and microstructural phenomena.
• Experience with finite-element, phase-field, electro-thermal, thermo-mechanical, or other multiphysics modeling methods.
• Experience using experimental data to calibrate and validate process or microstructure models.
• Experience preparing research proposals, sponsor reports, journal manuscripts, and technical presentations.

Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae, three representative publications, a research statement, and contact information for three references to Dr. Lin Cheng at lcheng90@umd.edu, with the subject line “Postdoctoral Researcher Application—[Name].” Evaluation of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.