Postdoctoral Appointee – Power Systems, Hybrid

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.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Appointee to join our team and conduct research related to power systems.

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

• Run hardware in the loop or control in the loop testing of power systems.
• Develop controls models.
• Create models using OpenDSS power data.
• Interpret data.
• Conduct literature reviews.
• Collaborate with research staff and technologists.
• Write presentations and reports, as well as present your results internally to colleagues and/or externally to sponsors or at conferences.
• Publish in peer reviewed journals.
• Explore new areas of research.

This position is located in Albuquerque, NM, and the annual salary for this position is $98,500. The selected applicant can work a combination of onsite and offsite work. The selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

• PhD in a Power Systems-related field, such as Electrical Engineering, Operations Research/Applied Economics, or Energy Resource Management.

• Research publication record and/or professional or extensive volunteer experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Electric power system resilience, including the development and Application of evaluation metrics
  • Power system and power electronics modeling using MATLAB/Simulink
  • Modeling and control of inverter-based resources, including primary, secondary, and tertiary control, grid-following (GFL), and grid-forming (GFM) strategies
  • Optimization and artificial intelligence techniques for energy management, grid resilience, and network reconfiguration
  • Application of metaheuristic algorithms, such as Genetic Algorithms, for network reconfiguration, energy management optimization, and resilience enhancement
  • Application of artificial neural networks for network reconfiguration, and decision support in energy management and resilient power systems
  • Microgrid design and dynamic modeling for energy management and resilience studies
  • Battery energy storage system modeling and integration in power networks
  • Real-time electrical system modeling for implementation on OPAL-RT platforms for control hardware-in-the-loop and power hardware-in-the-loop
• Strong verbal and written communication abilities
• Ability to work collaboratively on interdisciplinary teams and contribute to group efforts.

Sandia’s Resilient Energy and Distributed Systems Integration (REDSI) department conducts research, development and demonstrations of new components and systems that will enable resilient and reliable distributed energy resources as part of a secure and robust electric grid. The department partners extensively with the U.S. industry and other research institutions to pursue high-value solutions that enhance performance, safety, reliability and resilience of energy systems. We establish the technical foundation for advanced models, analysis methods, controls, standards, cyber-security solutions and power electronics concepts applicable to microgrids and interconnected systems. Much of this work is conducted at Sandia’s Distributed Energy Technologies Laboratory (DETL), a world-recognized systems integration research facility for over 40 years. This work is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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.

This position does not currently require a Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance.

Sandia will conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Furthermore, employees in New Mexico need to pass a U.S. Air Force background screen for access to Kirtland Air Force Base. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause access to be denied or terminated, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment. Under federal law, citizens and agents of the People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, and the Russian Federation are generally prohibited from accessing Sandia National Laboratories. Accordingly, such individuals will not be considered for employment unless they are also a citizen of the United States.

If hired without a clearance and it subsequently becomes necessary to obtain and maintain one for the position, or you bid on positions that require a clearance, a pre-processing background review may be conducted prior to a required federal background investigation. Applicants for a DOE security clearance need to be U.S. citizens. 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.

Members of the workforce (MOWs) hired at Sandia who require uncleared access for greater than 179 days during their employment, are required to go through the Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) process. Access includes physical and/or cyber (logical) access, as well as remote access to any NNSA information technology (IT) systems. UPIV requirements are not applicable to individuals who require a DOE personnel security clearance for the performance of their SNL employment or to foreign nationals. The UPIV process will include the completion of a USAccess Enrollment, SF-85 (Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions) and OF-306 (Declaration of for Federal Employment). An unfavorable UPIV determination will result in immediate retrieval of the SNL issued badge, removal of cyber (logical) access and/or removal from SNL subcontract. All MOWs may appeal the unfavorable UPIV determination to DOE/NNSA immediately. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the MOW may try to go through the UPIV process one year after the decision date.

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.