Research Associate

Responsibilities

• Conduct research in automated and high-throughput materials discovery, including synthesis, processing, and characterization.
• Design and execute high-throughput experimental workflows to investigate structure-property-performance relationships in inorganic materials.
• Develop, implement, and optimize automated research workflows with real-time monitoring, data acquisition, and feedback controls.
• Analyze experimental datasets using computational, statistical, and/or AI/ML methods to extract material performance insights.
• Adapt and improve experimental platforms, testing workflows, and characterization protocols.
• Design, modify, and fabricate custom laboratory apparatus, fixtures, and devices.
• Develop research protocols, data-management practices, and technical documentation.
• Contribute to manuscripts, technical reports, presentations, and research proposals.

Requirements

• PhD degree in engineering, materials science, chemistry, mechatronics, or a related field.
• Minimum 1 year of demonstrated research experience in automated, autonomous, or high-throughput experimental systems.
• Experience developing, integrating, or operating laboratory automation platforms for materials synthesis or testing.
• Hands-on experience with laboratory instrumentation such as SEM, XRD, XRF, spectroscopy, or electrochemistry.
• Experience with experimental design, scientific data acquisition, and troubleshooting complex experimental systems.
• Strong project management, leadership, and interpersonal skills for working within multi-disciplinary teams.

About the Company

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery. By leveraging artificial intelligence, robotics, and high-throughput chemistry, the AC creates self-driving laboratories (SDLs) that rapidly design materials and molecules for a sustainable and resilient future. Supported by a $200M Canadian First Research Excellence Grant, the AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government.