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Postdoctoral Appointee - Atomistic Materials Modeling

Sandia National Laboratories • Albuquerque, NM, United States • 2d ago

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Job ID

697690

Location

Albuquerque, NM

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Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Temporary

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About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
Extraordinary co-workers
Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like

Are you passionate about using computational methods to design new materials and uncover how atomic-scale structure governs materials performance? Our team seeks motivated postdoctoral researchers with expertise in atomistic materials modeling and the curiosity to apply their skills to diverse mission-driven materials challenges.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

Plan, conduct, and analyze computer simulations of materials behavior at the atomistic scale to deduce materials structure, properties, and parameters.
Develop and maintain simulation workflows and data-analysis tools to build creative solutions to materials science challenges.
Visualize, interrogate, and interpret simulation data to identify mechanisms and trends.
Apply machine learning or artificial intelligence to advance simulation methods, enable high-throughput workflows, or discover structure-property-performance relationships.
Integrate materials knowledge to formulate research hypotheses, propose and carry out research.
Work in collaborative team environments on multidisciplinary, technically challenging projects as part of a dynamic research organization.
Communicate accomplishments and impact by presenting at internationally recognized conferences, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and engaging with program managers.

This position is eligible for telecommuting and the selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

Qualifications We Require

PhD in materials science, chemistry, physics, or closely related science or engineering field.
The ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire

Experience applying atomistic simulation tools (e.g., LAMMPS, VASP, or similar) to challenges in materials science or engineering.
Relevant materials expertise demonstrated by
- Previous work with one or more materials systems such as structural metals and alloys, polymers and composites, semiconductors, oxides/ceramics, 2D materials, energetic (reactive) materials, or catalytically active materials; or
- Experience modeling interface-dominated phenomena (e.g., grain boundaries, surfaces, phase boundaries); or
- Experience with atomistic modeling of chemical reaction.
Proficiency in scientific scripting and/or programming (e.g., Python, Matlab, C/C++, Fortran).
Familiarity with high-performance computing.
Strong written and verbal communication skills evidenced by a history of publishing original research in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at professional conferences.
Track record of collaborating with experimentalists and/or computational researchers to advance materials for engineering applications.
Demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships and develop creative solutions in team environments.

About Our Team

The Computational Materials Science Department applies materials modeling on multiple length scales to accelerate engineering solutions and drive materials discovery and design for Sandia's missions. Our expertise spans a diversity of materials (including polymers, ceramics, composites, alloys, ferroelectrics, and metal-organic frameworks) and a breadth of computational methods from density functional theory and molecular dynamics to mesoscale and microstructure-informed continuum simulations.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

Position Information

This postdoctoral position is a temporary position for up to one year, which may be renewed at Sandia's discretion up to five additional years. The PhD must have been conferred within five years prior to employment.

Individuals in postdoctoral positions may bid on regular Sandia positions as internal candidates, and in some cases may be converted to regular career positions during their term if warranted by ongoing operational needs, continuing availability of funds, and satisfactory job performance.