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.
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:
We are recruiting 1-2 students to start in the group in Fall 2024. Incoming students would likely work on one of the following projects:
– Synthesis of extremely ion/ion-selective membranes for electrodialysis, targeting the production of critical minerals
– Development of data-science tools to generate 3D microstructures from 2D images, co-advised by Prof. Jason Hattrick-Simpers (see our 2023 paper in J. Membr. Sci.)
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