Soft matter materials such as polymers, molecular crystals, biomaterials, nanomaterials, and flexible electronics, are of significant interest to the DoD and the broader scientific community for applications in lightweight systems, sensors, materials for extreme environments, and soft robotics. The formation of robust structure-processing-property relationships for soft matter is challenged by difficulty in understanding their complex structure across length scales. This opportunity is focused on the development of new characterization methodologies for novel materials. The methodologies required incorporate understanding of the underlying physics of the material and utilize emerging approaches such as machine learning and quantum-based approaches for moving beyond the limitations of traditional experimentation. Characterization tools of interest include transmission electron microscopy, optical and fluorescence microscopy, X-ray scattering, and mechanical analysis, with particular interest in in-situ and in-operando experimentation. Research performed in this opportunity will push these methods to be faster, higher resolution, across multiple length scales, and containing information content from a variety of sources.  

 

References:

·      K Hazell, A Auguste, A Gillman, LF Drummy, Complex Plastic Deformation in Glassy Thin Polymer Films on 3D-Printed Auxetic Lattices, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 102422, 2025. 

·      EJ Reid, LF Drummy, CA Bouman, GT Buzzard, Multi-Resolution Data Fusion for Super Resolution Imaging, IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging, 8, 81-95, 2022.

·      Y Jiao, A Tibbits, A Gillman, MS Hsiao, P Buskohl, LF Drummy, RA Vaia. Deformation Behavior of Polystyrene-Grafted Nanoparticle Assemblies with Low Grafting Density. Macromolecules, 51, 18, 7257-7265, 2018.

Polymers; extreme environments; microscopy; nanomaterials; flexible electronics; adaptive materials; sensors; characterization; scattering; radiation damage

citizenship

Open to U.S. citizens

level

Open to Postdoctoral and Senior applicants

Additional Benefits

relocation

Awardees who reside more than 50 miles from their host laboratory and remain on tenure for at least six months are eligible for paid relocation to within the vicinity of their host laboratory.

health insurance

A group health insurance program is available to awardees and their qualifying dependents in the United States.