The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Sustainable Bioinspired Materials Laboratory (SBML) led by Prof. Sungjin Kim. This position focuses on advanced materials engineering, specifically utilizing bioinspired, bioderived material platforms such as cellulose-based materials. The successful candidate will transition conventional cellulose-based systems (e.g., papers, plant-derived materials) into high-throughput analytical interfaces by combining printable polymer networks, functional dynamic coatings, and additive manufacturing. This research bridges structural materials design with high-impact, translational applications in biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and resource recovery.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities
Materials Synthesis & Interface Engineering: Design, functionalize, and characterize advanced polymer networks and dynamic coatings on cellulose-based substrates to engineer active organic-inorganic interfaces.

Additive Manufacturing & Characterization: Utilize 3D printing technologies (including extrusion-based and vat photopolymerization techniques) to microfabricate high-density, reproducible paper arrays and fluidic routing architectures.

Dissemination of Research: Prepare and submit high-quality research findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and present findings at national and international professional conferences.

Proposal & Grant Development: Assist the PI in the preparation and writing of federal and foundation grant proposals to secure external funding.

Laboratory Leadership & Mentorship: Provide day-to-day guidance, experimental design support, and technical training to graduate and undergraduate students within the laboratory.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, or a closely related field by the start date of appointment

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Strong background in material-biointerface functionalization, cellulose-based material development and engineering, additive manufacturing, and/or the design of functional hybrid materials.

• Demonstrated record of research productivity evidenced by first-author publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Experience with different quantitative materials characterization techniques, including thermomechanical characterizations, spectroscopy, microscopy, data analysis pipelines, and IT skillsets to generate scientific documents, figures, and datasets.

Only applications submitted through the official UNMJobs site will be accepted. If you are viewing this job advertisement on a 3rd party site, please visit UNMJobs to submit an application.

Applicants who are appointed to a UNM faculty position are required to provide an official certification of successful completion of all degree requirements prior to their initial employment with UNM.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.