Defense Health Agency has establishedan emphasis on the development of sensors that can establish Individual Longitudinal Exposure Records which falls under a new focus area described as "Force Health Protection."  The goal is to have the healthiest wrokforce within ten years.

To accomplish this materials and methods need to be developed to capture and then analyze contaminants that our workforce are exposed to.  Ideally, the devices developed should be compact, easy to use, and capture a wide variety of organic classes of compounds.  The requirement has been well publicized by Congress, The White House and Defense Health Agency.

Current work at USAF/AFRL/School of Aerospace Medicine has concentrated on two materials - silicone and meso-porous silica.  Considerable money has been invested to develop and study these materials.

The ideal candidate should have a working knowledge of mass spectrometric tandem techniques, including: gas chromatographic, liquid chromatographic, supercritical fluid chromatographic.  Additionally familiarity with a wide variety of mass spectrometers is required.

Additonally, the researcher should be knowlegeable on various preparation techniques from solvent extraction to supercritical fluid extraction.

Finally, knowledge of exposure science is valuable.

key words

GCMS; Permeation, Silicone, Meso-Porous Silica; Thermal Desorption; Supercritical Extraction/Chromatography; Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral and Senior applicants