Want to know if this job is worth applying to?
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Onsite
Job End Date
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
The expected salary for this position is $75,000 CAD per year.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Sustainable Aviation Fuels
The Upham group in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver) is hiring a full time Postdoctoral Fellow to develop a tandem catalytic process that converts syngas to oxymethylene ethers (OMEs) for sustainable aviation fuels. The initial appointment is for 1-year, with the possibility of extension, subject to availability of funds and work performance. This position is based in the research group's laboratories on the UBC Vancouver campus The anticipated start date is January 1, 2027 or a date to be mutally agreed upon.
The research group works on heterogeneous and molten metal catalysis for methane pyrolysis and CO2 conversion, and on carbon valorization. The successful candidate will join a team of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and undergraduate researchers and will have access to the group's catalyst synthesis, reactors, and characterization facilities.
Project
The project is developing a new catalyst to enable a tandem catalytic process in which the steps from syngas to OMEs are coupled rather than run as separate unit operations. OMEs are oxygenated fuel molecules that can be made from syngas derived from biomass, waste or captured CO2 and hydrogen, and are of interest as low-carbon aviation fuel components.
The work is primarily experimental. The postdoctoral fellow will develop and test new catalysts for the individual steps, study how the steps interact when coupled, and demonstrate the integrated process in flow reactors. The results will establish the catalyst performance, product distributions and operating windows needed for process evaluation and scale-up.
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Required:
Preferred:
The University of British Columbia's primary language of instruction and research is English. Accordingly, individuals are required to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
How to apply
The application deadline is November 30, 2026. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue through November until the position is filled.
Applicants must include the following items, combined in a single PDF, in their applications:
Direct the application package to both:
Inquiries about the position may be directed to hailey.boyer@ubc.ca
The expected salary for this position is $75,000 CAD per year. This position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package. For details, see https://hr.ubc.ca/benefits
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.
The Department is located on UBC's Point Grey campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, a vibrant and culturally diverse city situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountains and consistently ranked among the world's most livable cities. The University of British Columbia and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering acknowledge the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) people on whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory the university resides.