POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE, Mechanical Engineering (MechE), to identify opportunities where cutting-edge research can address pressing needs to improve decarbonization in target areas, including transportation, agriculture, and water consumption. This work will involve technoeconomic analyses to align research with economic, cultural, and stakeholder-driven needs. Will work across two complementary programs – the K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center and MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC). Will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to help define and initiate research activities for addressing critical challenges to decarbonization. The identified research areas should align with the needs of the industry members of the MCSC and leverage ongoing research areas in GEAR Center but will not be constrained to prior work. Will conduct numerical analysis and modeling of the market, environmental impacts, and engineering principles for mining and agriculture systems to identify promising paths for decarbonizing heavy trucking; and model agricultural systems with respect to energy consumption, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and the impact of state and federal policy on end-user decision-making.
Job Requirements
REQUIRED: Ph.D. in mechanical engineering or related field with a focus on decarbonization solutions in one or more of the target focus areas; experience conducting high-quality research in engineering in the context of decarbonization or related area; experience conducting fieldwork with stakeholders (may include ethnographic research and field pilots); track record of applying systems-level and design thinking; excellent analytical, statistical, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills; and ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences, work independently and on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, and engage with stakeholders outside of academia (e.g., government, NGOs, and private sector). Job #24339