Fully funded PhD position in Aquatic Chemistry at Texas A&M University
The Aquatic Chemistry lab (https://www.mckaylab.com/) in the Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University is seeking to a hire a highly motivated, PhD student with a background in chemistry, environmental science, or engineering to work on the characterization and reactivity of carbon-based nanomaterials including aquatic organic matter, atmospheric brown carbon, and eumelanin. The Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) will be fully funded, including tuition and benefits, and will conduct research leading to impactful peer-reviewed publications.
PyDOM Chemistry: The goals of the first project on pyrogenic dissolved organic matter are to i) identify relationships between molecular structure and optical surrogates like fluorescence quantum yields, ii) evaluate the photochemical and microbiological transformation of PyDOM, and iii) help develop the use of online CDOM sensors for tracking PyDOM export from a burned watershed. Researchers will become experts in optical measurements, aquatic photochemistry, SPE and FT-ICR MS, and field methods.
Brown carbon: The goal of the second project on atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is to systematically examine the molecular composition and behavior of chromophores in atmospheric BrC to provide mechanistic understanding of their light absorption properties. First, the team will use chamber reactions to produce BrC from primary and secondary sources, characterizing the aerosol chemical composition in real time using advanced mass spectrometry approaches including chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Second, filter extracted BrC will be further characterized by high resolution mass spectrometry coupled to absorbance detection to identify key chromophores in the atmospheric BrC. Molecular information from mass spectrometry will be corroborated by studying the impact of pH, redox status, and molecular size on the optical properties of filter-extracted BrC. Third, studies of the photostability of filter-extracted BrC and their propensity to generate singlet oxygen will be conducted to better characterize its atmospheric aging.
NSF CAREER: This goal of this project is to uncover the molecular-scale interactions that explain the macroscopic optical and photochemical properties of dissolved organic matter. The project will accomplish these goals by studying charge-transfer complexes of model organic compounds; characterizing the optical, photophysical, and photochemical properties highly resolved DOM fractions generated by size, charge, and polarity gradients; and evaluate the impact of photooxidation and microbial transformation and the abundance and chemistry of DOM charge-transfer complexes. Researchers involved in the project will also work closely with Dr. McKay to develop educational activities that will be submitted to peer-reviewed educational journals.
More information about these projects can be found at:
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2404431&HistoricalAwar…
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2246728&HistoricalAwar…
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2237194&HistoricalAwards=false
The primary responsibilities for this position will include:
- Planning, conducting, and managing laboratory experiments to address the objective described in the above projects
- Supervising of undergraduate students
- Support the Principal Investigator in purchasing, maintaining records, maintaining instruments, and other day-to-day aspects of running the lab
- Preparing manuscripts for peer reviewed journals and presenting findings at conferences
Required qualifications:
- MS in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Chemistry/Geochemistry, or a related discipline
- Ability to work in a collaborative environments
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Strong problem-solving and organizational skills
- Detail oriented
Competitive applicants will also exhibit some of the following characteristics:
- Demonstrated knowledge and expertise in the analysis of dissolved organic matter, including spectroscopic and photochemical methods
- Experience conducting laboratory studies to investigate the fate of organic contaminants
- Experience with the use of analytical instrumentation for analysis of organic compounds – LC/MS, GC/MS
- Evidence of peer-reviewed publications
Application instructions:
Review of applications will begin immediately. Applicants should email the following materials as a single PDF to Prof. Garrett McKay with the subject “PhD applicant” – brief cover letter, CV, names and contact information of three references, and up to two examples of scholarly work (published or submitted manuscripts).
Additional information:
More information about Aquatic Chemistry Group @ Texas A&M can be found online (https://www.mckaylab.com/). Our group’s most recent publications are available on Prof. McKay’s Google Scholar page (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZsVoRmMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao).
The goal of the Aquatic Chemistry Lab @ Texas A&M is to make impactful contributions to environmental engineering and science by developing the next generation of researchers. We are a diverse group of individuals that works collaboratively. Our core values are respect, trust, excellence, integrity, and service.
The Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Texas A&M University consistently ranks as one of the top-10 graduate programs for public institutions. The Environmental Engineering Program has seven highly research active tenured and tenure-track faculty, with multiple collaborators across campus in water related areas. <br><br>College Station, TX is an affordable, family-friendly location located in the heart of the Brazos Valley, with close proximity to Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Read more about living in College Station, TX at https://www.cstx.gov/our_community