Hiring Announcements: CLOSED
Postdoctoral Scholars
The Smith Research Group is currently hiring for three different Postdoctoral Scholar positions, with emphasis on bioinformatics, biotechnology, and molecular chemistry, respectively. For full descriptions to see which position is the best fit for your qualifications, please follow the links below. For those interested in applying, please follow the application guidelines provided.
Hiring Announcement
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PFAS Investigation & Mitigation
Job Type: Post-Doc
Job Rank: Postdoctoral Scholar
Job Institution: University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering
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Job Description
The Smith Research Group and the McCurry Lab at the University of Southern California are recruiting a postdoctoral scholar focused on investigating PFAS contamination in Southern California and remediation technologies. The research will involve field sampling of various environmental matrices including groundwater, soils, and household dust along with sampling across full-scale water reclamation facilities. Bench-scale systems for PFAS remediation including both biological and chemical systems will be investigated. The research project is a collaboration with faculty at the Keck School of Medicine.
Qualifications for the position includes:
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A Ph.D. in environmental engineering or a related discipline
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Comprehensive understanding of PFAS
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Experience using targeted and potentially non-targeted analytical techniques to quantify PFAS in various environmental matrices
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Experience constructing and operating bench-scale reactors
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Excellent written and oral communication skills
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Experience assisting proposal preparation for federal funding agencies
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Ability to work as part of a collaborative team
The position is available immediately and is funded for up to 12 months. The position may be renewable contingent upon performance. To apply, please send an email with a cover letter and your CV to Drs. Adam Smith (smithada@usc.edu) and Dan McCurry (dmccurry@usc.edu). We strongly encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds.
The USC Viterbi School of Engineering is committed to enabling the success of dual career families and fosters a family-friendly environment. USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance.
June 2023​
Hiring Announcement
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Environmental Biotechnologies for Resource Recovery and Microbial Ecology
Job Type: Post-Doc
Job Rank: Postdoctoral Scholar
Job Institution: University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering
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Job Description
Applications are invited for several postdoctoral research positions in the Water Reuse and Resource Recovery (ReWater) Center at the University of Southern California (USC). The ReWater Center in the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been awarded a $4.3 M cooperative agreement for phase one of a three-phase $11.3 M program with the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). The postdoctoral researchers will conduct research in the research groups of Amy Childress, Adam Smith, Dan McCurry, and Adam Simpson to address the multiple objectives of potable reuse: achieving constituent removals necessary for public health and the environment, reducing energy requirements, recovering resources from wastewater and residual streams.
Qualifications for the position includes:
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A Ph.D. in environmental engineering or a closely related discipline
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Evidence of scientific impact of PhD research (e.g., papers published in high-quality journals)
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Excellent written and oral communication skills
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Ability to work as a leader and a team player in a collaborative environment
Preference will be given to candidates with experience in: membrane and other physicochemical materials and processes as well as system-scale evaluation (Childress); environmental biotechnologies for resource recovery, microbial ecology with an emphasis on antimicrobial resistance, and contaminants of emerging concern (Smith); environmental chemistry, removal and transformation of contaminants in water reuse systems, and analytical method development for identification and quantification of trace organic compounds in recycled water (McCurry); environmental organic chemistry, extraction and quantification of organic contaminants from complex matrices, and use of cellular assays to screen extracts for major toxicity drivers (Simpson).
Review of applications will begin July 5. The positions are available for multiple years; however, annual renewal is dependent on funding and progress made by the individual. Applicants should send an email to rewater@usc.edu with the subject line “Postdoc applicant” and include: (1) a cover letter stating how your skills and interests match the position description, the faculty member you would like to work with, and your career goals, (2) a curriculum vitae, and (3) names and contact information for three references.
The USC Viterbi School of Engineering is committed to enabling the success of dual career families and fosters a family-friendly environment. USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance.
June 2023​
Hiring Announcement
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Microbial Ecology of Greenhouse Gas Consumers
Job Type: Post-Doc
Job Rank: Postdoctoral Scholar
Job Institution: University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering
Job Description
The Smith Research Group at the University of Southern California is recruiting a postdoctoral scholar focused on investigating greenhouse gas consumption by bacteria and archaea. The research will involve designing and operating bench-scale bioreactors for enrichment and culturing of isolated microorganisms from mixed communities. Characterization will involve analytical chemistry, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. The research project is a collaboration with Profs. Jan Amend and Cameron Trash in Biological Sciences at USC Dornsife.
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Qualifications for the positions include:
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A Ph.D. in environmental engineering or a related discipline
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Experience constructing and operating bench-scale bioreactors
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Comprehensive understanding of microbial metabolisms related to methane and nitrous oxide
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Experience culturing microorganisms in aerobic and anaerobic environments
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Experience with molecular biology tools (e.g., nucleic acid extraction, qPCR, amplicon sequencing, metagenomics) and associated bioinformatics tools
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Excellent written and oral communication skills
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The position is available immediately and is funded for up to 36 months. To apply, please send an email with a cover letter and your CV to Dr. Adam Smith (smithada@usc.edu). We strongly encourage applications from AHN candidates.
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The USC Viterbi School of Engineering is committed to enabling the success of dual career families and fosters a family-friendly environment. USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance.