Research Motivation: The urgent demand for sustainable materials has never been greater. The building and construction sector is responsible for 37% of global process-related CO2 emissions and consumes over half of the resources extracted annually [1]. A major contributor to these impacts is concrete production. In the United States alone, we use over 120 million tons of cement [2] and 1.9 billion tons of aggregates [3] each year; resulting in ~95 million tons of CO2-eq emissions [4]. Thus, to meet global carbon-neutrality goals by 2050, decarbonizing the building and construction sector is essential [5].
The D/Carb Research Group (https://sites.psu.edu/dcarb/) is at the forefront of this transformation, pioneering carbon-negative concrete materials and the innovative technologies that support them. Our goals include:
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Enhance carbon sequestration: Develop carbon-sequestering processes that also improve the durability and lower the costs of concrete products.
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Leading Industry Collaboration: Partner with industry and academic leaders to drive the decarbonization of the building and construction sector.
As the a laboratory manager assistant you will:
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Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sample preparation, curing, mechanical testing, and analytical instrumentation.
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Organize and label reagents, consumables, and finished specimens; track inventory and place supply orders.
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Calibrate and perform basic maintenance on mixers, grinders, sieves, and compression testers.
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Prepare weekly lab modules and demo materials for research; coordinate with the instructor and graduate researchers to keep the workspace inspection-ready .
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Log safety inspections, chemical inventories, and equipment usage in shared databases.
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Optionally assist with data collection, preliminary analysis, and presentation graphics.
Time commitment: 8–12 hrs/week for Fall 2025, with option to continue.
Skills: Detail-oriented, strong record-keeping, basic MS Excel/Teams; prior lab course or safety training preferred.
Training: Complete Penn State EHS Lab & Chemical Safety modules within the first two weeks.
Physical: Able to lift ≤25 lb samples and stand for extended periods.
Professionalism: Punctual, proactive communicator, and adherence to the Penn State Student Code of Conduct.
GPA ≥3.5 cumulative preferred.
Email a single PDF that includes (1) a brief cover letter describing why this role fits your interests, (2) résumé, and (3) unofficial transcript to Dr. Juan Pablo Gevaudan at jp.gevaudan@psu.edu. Use the subject line “AE 496 Lab Manager Application – [Your Name]”. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a 20-minute interview and a tour of the laboratory