Research Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in End of Life of Biobased Materials - The Univers...

Research Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in End of Life of Biobased Materials - The University of Tennessee - Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (Summer/Fall 2026)

Location: Knoxville, TN Open Date: Mar 11, 2026 Description:

The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) is inviting applications for a non-tenure track research faculty position in biodegradation of bio-derived materials. We are looking for an innovative and collaborative scholar who is dedicated to advancing research in understanding and improving the end-of-service-life and sustainability of bio-derived materials as part of a circular bioeconomy. Areas of research may encompass elucidating microbial mechanisms that drive biodegradation of biomass-derived materials, using such mechanisms to inform the design of improved bio-derived materials, and engineering microbiomes to optimize end-of-life material processing and circular resource recovery.

This position will be part of the UT-ORII’s Circular Bioeconomy Systems (CBS) Convergent Research Initiative (CRI), dedicating to developing transformative strategies for managing, valorizing, and extending the lifespan of each biomass-derived carbon atom. The CBS CRI addresses major challenges such as advancing responsible resource management, promoting clean energy technologies, developing novel biomass preprocessing systems, and designing sustainable products with carbon-efficient end-of-service-life. Approximately 20 member investigators from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) will be involved in this initiative. This faculty position will be affiliated with UT-ORII at UTK.

…