Postdoc Research Fellow; School of Architecture

Position Number: POST40

Department: Col of Arts & Architecture (Col)

Employment Type: Temporary - Full-time

Months Per Year: 12

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct interdisciplinary research in regenerative building technologies within the Integrated Design Research Lab. Responsibilities will include:

• Prototype development and testing: Design, fabricate, operate, and evaluate bio-integrated building systems, microalgae façade systems, and/or low-carbon material prototypes; develop experimental protocols and document results.

• Data analysis and system evaluation: Collect and analyze thermal, biological, environmental, and material-performance data; evaluate system performance and identify opportunities for optimization.

• Research development and tech translation: Lead or support research in microalgae cultivation, thermal-fluid integration, sensing/controls, and/or low-carbon materials based on the Fellow’s expertise, and translate laboratory findings toward pilot-scale applications.

• Publications and grants: Prepare peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, presentations, and contribute to external grant proposals.

• Collaboration and mentoring: Coordinate with academic and industry partners and mentor undergraduate and graduate researchers.

Individual Development Plan ( IDP ): The faculty mentor and Postdoctoral Fellow will develop an IDP at the beginning of the appointment. The IDP will establish specific annual goals for research, publications, grant development, mentoring, professional networking, and preparation for the Fellow’s future academic, research, or industry career. The IDP milestones will be aligned with the Fellow’s assigned responsibilities, including prototype development and testing, data analysis, peer-reviewed publications, grant development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Minimum Experience / Education:

The Postdoctoral appointee must have recently (within the last eight years) been awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.)

Preferred Education Skills and Experience:

Ph.D. in Architectural Technology, Biology/Biotechnology, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Environmental Engineering, or a related field relevant to bio-integrated and regenerative building technologies. Preferred Knowledge and Competencies Candidates should demonstrate knowledge or research experience in at least two of the following areas:

• Bio-integrated building systems, photobioreactors, microalgae cultivation, or biological process systems.

• Building environmental systems, heat transfer, fluid flow, thermal systems, or building-energy performance.

• Low-carbon materials, concrete, biomaterials, or material characterization.

• Sensors, environmental monitoring, data acquisition, controls, or AI-enabled building systems.

• Experimental design, laboratory testing, prototype development, and quantitative data analysis.

• Research documentation, peer-reviewed publication, and grant/proposal development.

• Experience with hands-on prototyping, experimental research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and data analysis using tools such as Python, MATLAB , R, or equivalent software is preferred.

Applicants are not expected to have expertise in every research area. The successful candidate’s responsibilities will be aligned with their primary expertise while contributing to interdisciplinary research across architecture, engineering, biology, and materials.

A Postdoctoral Fellow (""postdoc"") is a professional apprenticeship designed to provide recent Ph.D. recipients with an opportunity to develop further the research skills acquired in their doctoral programs or to learn new research techniques, in preparation for an academic or research career. In the process of further developing their own research skills, it is expected that Postdoctoral Fellows will also play a significant role in the performance of research at the University and augment the role of graduate faculty in providing research instruction to graduate students. A Postdoctoral Fellow works under the supervision of a regular faculty member, who serves as a mentor to the Fellow, and it is expected that the faculty mentor will impart the realities, and variety, of scientific careers, and will encourage experiences outside the laboratory to broaden postdocs’ aspirations. Within the confines of the particular research focus assigned by that faculty member, the Postdoctoral Fellow functions with a considerable degree of independence and has the freedom (and is expected) to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of appointment. Thus, the role of Postdoctoral Fellows is clearly differentiated from full-time technical employees. Postdoc appointments are characterized by all of the following conditions:

• the appointee was recently (within the last eight years) awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.);

• the appointment is temporary, for up to one year at a time, with renewal possible;

• the total appointment is limited to five years, including time spent in previous postdoctoral appointments at other institutions;

• the appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship at 1.0 FTE ;

• the appointment helps the Postdoctoral Fellow to prepare for a fulltime academic and/or research career;

• the appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member; and

• the appointee has the freedom and is expected, to publish the results of their research or scholarship during the period of appointment.