Please see below for open positions. Women and members of racialized communities are especially encouraged to apply.
Our group is highly collaborative and focused on core challenges in sustainability, including water, metals, and CO2 removal. We are a separations lab, with particularly strong emphasis on the development of novel, high-performance materials that have the potential to be scaled up readily.
Qualities that we look for in new students include:
– Desire to collaborate with—not compete with—your lab-mates
– Intellectual curiosity and a passion for learning
– Demonstrated leadership and organizational experience (i.e., extracurriculars)
– Desire to make a difference in the world
– Passion for helping others
– (Plus) Desire to start a company
If interested in any of the opportunities, please email your CV and information about yourself to Dr. Werber (jay.werber@utoronto.ca). In your CV, please include your GPA. I also suggest you peruse our lab manual to get a sense for how we will work, as well as read the note below. Students interested in joining our group for graduate studies must also apply to the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry.
One note: I (Jay) read every email that is sent. Sometimes I am really busy and miss responding. Please feel free to send a follow-up email.
PhD and MASc positions:
This is a major recruiting year. We are looking to bring in ~four MASc or PhD students to start Fall 2026. Likely available projects are listed below. Students interested in other project areas are still encouraged to contact Jay.
1. Membrane processes in pulp & paper (co-advisor: Nikolai DeMartini). The pulp & paper industry is a major legacy industry in Canada with a long history of academic leadership in our department. The Kraft process uses many energy-intensive, thermal processes; evaporation alone in the Kraft process consumes 1% of all energy in the USA. There is enormous opportunity to improve the Kraft process using innovating membrane techniques. Our main initial goal will be to explore bipolar membrane electrodialysis as a renewable-energy-driven way to regenerate acid and base, replacing the lime kiln. The new student will lead this effort, gaining expertise in developing innovative membrane processes for complex, real-world aqueous separation processes.
The co-advisor (Niko) leads the pulp & paper consortium and brings decades of experience with the pulp & paper industry.
2. Self-driving labs in membrane science (co-advisor: Jason Hattrick-Simpers). Working with the Hattrick-Simpers Lab and the Acceleration Consortium, we are bringing self-driving lab (SDL) methodologies into membrane science. Our student Hongchen Wang has developed the first high-throughput system to fabricate and characterize porous membranes. We are also developing two other SDL systems, most notably one for interfacial polymerization. The new student will work somewhere in this space, either refining and employing the system for porous membranes or building (and employing!) the system for interfacial polymerization.
The co-advisor (Jae) is a world expert in robotics and data-science-driven experimentation.
3. Purification of organic acids microbially produced from organic waste
We have a long-term collaboration with the Microbiome Engineering Lab of Prof. Christopher Lawson. The Microbiome Engineering Lab is producing medium-chain fatty acids (6-12 carbons, such as hexanoic acid and octanoic acid) as valuable chemicals using anaerobic digestion. We have developed robust, membrane extraction processes using silicone-based membranes, which are very compelling alternatives to liquid extraction methods. The new student will continue investigating the fundamentals of these membranes, develop alternative processes to separate other valuable chemicals (e.g., butyric acid), explore the overall process, including bipolar membrane electrodialysis to drive chemical regeneration, and support our upscaling efforts to pilot-scale and beyond.
4. Development of ultra-stable reverse osmosis membranes
This student will work on developing high-strength porous membranes and hollow fiber membranes, to be used for ultra-high-pressure reverse osmosis and osmotically assisted RO. This research project will overlap substantially with our SDL work, but with a relatively heavy focus on fundamentals of RO processes.
Postdoctoral Associate positions:
We do not have a current postdoctoral associate opening. That said, funding situations constantly change, and folks who are interested are still encouraged to reach out to Jay.
Additionally, exceptional candidates who may be able to secure outside fellowships are always encouraged to contact Jay.
Undergraduate Student positions:
In general… ambitious UofT undergraduates who are interested in research are always encouraged to contact Jay (and other professors). Undergraduate (UG) research is an excellent opportunity to test out research and research fields, as well as build your resume. UG researchers will be compensated financially and may have opportunities for NSERC fellowships to help fund full-time Summer research. At least 5-10 hours of research time per week (on average) will be expected during the academic year.
Projects will vary depending on interest, skills, and time availability. UG researchers could be mentored by a graduate student and assist with a particular lab technique (e.g., membrane testing or polymer synthesis), which is a great way to learn lab skills. More experienced and adventurous UG researchers could also tackle their own projects. Both computational and experimental projects are possible. Please contact Jay for more information.
A note for prospective students and post-docs:
Choosing a place to study and work is a really important decision, one that can have a huge impact on your happiness and career trajectory. There are many factors to consider, including technical knowledge you will gain, ability to set yourself up for the next career step, characteristics of the adviser, location, and culture of the group. The best fit is different for each person. Talk to people you respect to get their advice. Try to do your research on what life in a particular group is like. Reach out directly to potential advisers.
In terms of the Advanced Membranes Lab, I want it to be a place where a diverse group of scientists and engineers can work together to solve important problems. Separation science requires a range of skills and approaches, building on transport phenomena, surface science, polymer physics, numerical modeling, process optimization, and more. For that reason, the Lab will need folks with different strengths and technical backgrounds, including chemical engineers, synthetic chemists, environmental engineers, and more. That said, attitude is even more important than technical training. I hope to establish a culture in the group where people care about the work, freely share ideas, work together, learn together, and respect one another. Having group members who are open, respectful, and always eager to learn will be essential to building and maintaining this culture. Expectations must go both ways, and I will do my best to ensure that group members are happy, always learning, and well-placed for success.
If you have any questions for me, please reach out. I will try to be as transparent as possible. If you reach out and don’t hear back, please follow up.
-Jay