Postdoctoral Scholar - Mechanical Engineering

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process . Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday. CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday. If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants . Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see  Notice to Out of State Applicants . This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.   POSITION SPECIFICS The Department of Mechanical Engineering  at The Pennsylvania State University is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar in Battery Mechanics, Physics-Based AI, and Energy Storage Manufacturing under the direction of Dr. Jun Xu. Job Duties: Research: Develop and lead research integrating AI with battery science and engineering; design computational and/or experimental studies; and collaborate with academic, national laboratory, and industry partners. Publications: Lead the preparation of high-quality journal manuscripts and present findings at conferences. Proposal development: Work closely with the PI to identify funding opportunities, develop research concepts, generate preliminary results, and prepare technical proposals. Laboratory management: Help coordinate daily laboratory activities, equipment use and maintenance, research documentation, data and code management, and safety practices. Mentoring and coordination: Mentor graduate and undergraduate students, support project planning, and track research milestones and deliverables. Qualifications and Requirements: A Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, or a closely related field by the start date. Strong expertise in AI/machine learning, demonstrated through substantive research contributions. Experience preparing research proposals, mentoring students, or coordinating laboratory projects. Experience applying AI to batteries, energy storage, materials, or related physical systems. Experience with battery experiments, electrochemical or multiphysics modeling, scientific data infrastructure, or automated research workflows. A strong publication record appropriate to career stage and excellent scientific writing and communication skills. Interested applicants should send the following materials as a single PDF file : Curriculum vitae Brief research statement describing prior research experience…