Postdoctoral Appointee – Turbulent Atmospheric Flows, 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 with a background in R&D AI/ML engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or atmospheric science to join our team. You will work with a multi-disciplinary team to develop architectures to solve data-driven sensing and control problems related to turbulent atmospheric flows. The work will center around investigation of reinforcement learning and convolutional neural networks towards improving controllers in turbulent flows.

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

• Own and execute novel machine-learning workflows related to wind conditions and control performance.
• Post-process simulated and measured results to assess quantities of interest.
• Interface with world-class exascale computing clusters.
• Work with a dynamic team of researchers, developers, experimentalists, and model analysts working to solve challenging multi-physics problems.

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 engineering, physics, applied mathematics, computer science or other relevant field
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance

• Demonstrated experience with model-based reinforcement learning for real-time control applications
• Demonstrated experience with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for extracting features from full-field atmospheric data
• Demonstrated experience coding in Python
• Experience modeling unsteady wind loads from atmospheric flows
• Experience in flight system control and simulation including turbulence compensation
• Awareness of high-fidelity flow simulation methods, actuator-disc methods, and turbulence modeling approaches
• Experience with parallel programming (Shared and Distributed memory, GPU programming etc.)
• Demonstrated experience with distributed memory MPI programming
• Experience with collaborative software design, development, and testing processes
• Experience with the Application of statistical methods, data analytics, or machine learning to enrich experimental or computational data sources
• Experience with visualization of complex 3D flow fields

The Aerodynamic Technology & Energy Systems department conducts advanced research in airflow and structural dynamics, and develops innovative wind energy technologies. We apply deep expertise in engineering, materials, and data science, including AI/ML, to evaluate aerostructural and aeroelastic properties of aerodynamic systems, with a focus on high-fidelity modeling and simulation and verification & validation (V&V). Our expertise also includes data analytics, advanced manufacturing of aero and hydro rotor technology, composite materials applications, advanced instrumentation development, novel remote power generation, and energy systems integration.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) 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 L-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 the 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.