Tessonnier

This postdoctoral appointment in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University focuses on the catalysis and electrochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into chemicals and fuels . The successful researcher will join Professor Tessonnier’s group in a multidisciplinary, milestone-driven program and contribute to work spanning catalyst design, reaction testing, analytics, and collaboration with a national laboratory partner. The project centers on the development of heterogeneous catalysts and electrocatalysts , including metal alloys, non-precious metal catalysts, and mixed metal oxides. The postdoctoral researcher will investigate how catalyst composition, structure, activity, selectivity, and stability are related, while evaluating materials in batch, flow, and electrochemical reactor systems. A major part of the role is analytical: developing and implementing GC and GC-MS methods to identify and quantify reaction products, including lignin-derived phenolic compounds in aqueous mixtures and permanent gases. The appointment is embedded in a collaborative research environment with graduate students, other postdoctoral researchers, faculty collaborators, and external partners. In addition to core experimental work, the role includes maintaining shared instrumentation, mentoring student researchers, preparing technical reports and presentations, contributing to project deliverables, and publishing results in peer-reviewed journals. The department highlights strengths in catalysis, renewable energy, biorenewables, advanced materials, biomedical engineering, and computational modeling, with state-of-the-art facilities and strong links to industry, government laboratories, and academic institutions. The position is based at Iowa State University in Ames, within a large research university environment that emphasizes interdisciplinary work and research impact.