Unconventional Critical Materials Feedstock Resource Characterization

The National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL's) record of success has been built on understanding the future of energy and the technologies required to make that future possible. We’ve long touted our success in developing the technologies that took on acid rain in the 1970s and mercury in the early 2000s.

Program Goals

The NETL Faculty Research Program (FRP) offers qualified academic faculty an opportunity to collaborate with NETL principal investigators on research that is mutually beneficial to NETL and the selected applicant at state-of-the-art NETL facilities. While typical appointments are part-time, some appointments are offered on a full-time basis during the summer or as a sabbatical. Prior to the appointment, the NETL principal investigator and selected applicant will define the scope of research and schedule the appointment period. Appointment periods range from one month to more than one year. Funding varies and is awarded based upon the participant's institutional salary. Faculty members are expected to elevate the collaboration with NETL by supporting connections with students at their home institution, in addition to the research project.

Connecting Students with NETL

The collaboration between the selected faculty member and NETL will include connecting their academic institution and students with NETL. Student connections may be fostered through activities such as, but not limited to, the following:

• Inviting NETL scientists and engineers to present at a departmental seminar
• Joining NETL at institutional career/job fairs to discuss your experiences with NETL
• Speaking about your experiences with NETL at information sessions
• Sharing invitations to NETL information sessions with students
• Partnering with NETL on proposals and other funding opportunities
• Recommending opportunities to NETL scientists and engineers, such as serving as a reviewer or editor, leading a workshop, etc.
• Serving as an ambassador to NETL for students interested in careers in the national lab complex

Research Project

Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), this posting seeks a faculty collaborator to engage in projects with the Research Innovation Center (RIC) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in the area of resource characterization under the mentorship of Anna Wendt. This project will be hosted by the NETL Pittsburgh, PA campus.

The project is focused on collaborating on the development of a science-based inventory of the national-scale potential of prospective domestic unconventional resources for critical materials as needed for the U.S. energy future. Resource estimation methods to determine tonnage and grade of these unconventional feedstocks is still evolving, and requires refined approaches that leverage probabilistic modeling and the application of machine learning to advance development efforts of these domestic sources by pinpointing opportunities, informing R&D, catalyzing innovation and maximizing resource value.

Learning goals include research on improving the resource characterization and assessment of unconventional critical material resources, such as coal, coal production and combustion wastes, and other waste streams such as coal mine drainage, mine tailings, and produced water from oil and gas production.

Stipend: The selected faculty participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with their institutional salary.

Deliverables: To document the effectiveness of the program, participants are required to submit a pre-appointment and post-appointment survey, as well as a reflection on their appointment experience when they renew or end their appointment. The reflection should summarize their project(s), additional activities, and overall experience. Details are provided as the appointment end date approaches.
Participants may also have the opportunity to contribute to manuscripts, journal articles, book chapters, conference presentations, posters, patents, and other publications as a part of their appointment. Such achievements should also be reported to ORISE; additional details are provided after an offer has been accepted.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory system, is owned and operated by the DOE. NETL supports the DOE mission to advance the energy security of the United States. This is an educational opportunity offered by NETL and administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Participants in the program are not considered employees of NETL, DOE, the program administrator, or any other office or agency.

Qualifications

To be eligible, applicants must be a full-time regular permanent faculty member at an accredited college/university with a research interest in NETL core R&D areas.

The ideal candidate would have some, but not necessarily all, of the following skills:

• Geoscience
• Resource characterization and assessment
• GIS
• Probability assessment
• Geochemistry
• Geologic modeling
• Sedimentary systems

It is recognized that not all applicants will have knowledge and experience in all of these areas. This opportunity will provide exposure to/interaction with technical experts in several of these areas.