Postdoctoral Appointee - Controlling Power Flow to Enable High Energy Density Applications, Onsite

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.

The Radiation and Fusion Target Design department has an opening for a postdoctoral researcher to advance the understanding and modeling of power flow and pulse shaping on the Z facility. A particular emphasis will be on the design of layered MagLIF targets, where differences in material response may create new opportunities to improve target performance through tailored current delivery. The successful candidate will develop and apply physics-based models, including kinetic plasma simulation and reduced order plasma modeling, to understand how pulse shaping affects both fusion target performance and its coupling to the Z accelerator. This researcher will collaborate with other members of the pulsed power sciences center to explore this design space and propose novel fusion experiments for the Z machine.

The successful candidate will perform the following duties:

1. Partner on the design and analysis of experimental campaigns at Z.
2. Develop models for power flow losses considering load inductance history, feed geometry and pulse shaping.
3. Represent the research and development in the organization through publications in scientific journals and presentation at conferences.

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

• Collaborate as part of an integrated team to plan research into power flow on the Z machine
• Collaborate to develop and assess layered MagLIF target concepts that exploit tailored pulse shapes and material-dependent response
• Publish your findings and interact with the academic community
  
  Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant will be required to work onsite.
  

• PhD in Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Astronomy, or a related discipline (PhD must be conferred within five (5) years prior to employment)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance

• Experience in the kinetic simulation of plasmas
• Understanding of pulsed power machine operation
• Experience in the use of computational tools to probe high energy density phenomena
• Excellent communication skills demonstrated at technical conferences

Department 1684 works to design and analyze fusion and radiation producing experiments on Sandia's Z facility. Scientists in the department use a variety of tools, including scientific computing, artificial intelligence and theoretical models to advance the frontiers of high energy density plasma experiments. We have a close collaborative relationship with sister organizations tasked with performing Z experiments and developing diagnostics to better understand their characteristics. This work enables new applications to stockpile science with pulsed power.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.