18 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States

We seek several Postdoctoral Research Associates to support research in the Biogeochemical Dynamics Group in the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD), Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate (BESSD) at ORNL. We are interested in qualified candidates who can apply their creativity and skills in aquatic biogeochemistry and/or ecology to advance a predictive understanding of how and why watershed hydro-biogeochemical processes (esp. stream metabolism) operate under a range of hydrologic regimes and vary within and across stream networks that drain heterogeneous land covers. The candidates will work with world-leading biogeochemical experimental and field researchers and modelers to support the Watershed Dynamics and Evolution Science Focus Area (https://wade.ornl.gov/).

This position seeks to fill a research role in chemical processes and energy systems with an expert in computational modeling and simulation theory and application. Preference is given to candidates with expertise in the modeling and cost and environmental impacts analysis of chemical processes and systems over a wide range of scales. The successful candidate will work closely with experimental teams and perform the modeling and analysis tasks independently. Experience with commercial chemical process simulation software (Aspen Plus, CHEMCAD, etc.) and life cycle and sustainability assessment software (SimaPro or OpenLCA) will all be considered favorably. Direct experience modeling semi-continuous or continuous flow biochemical/chemical/electrochemical reactors and working knowledge of both finite volume and finite element methods will be a positive.

The Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research & Analysis (MEERA) Group at ORNL is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to engage in research and technical support for industrial decarbonization workforce development. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in mechanical engineering, industrial energy systems, renewable energy, decarbonization, or other related fields. They should also possess experience in industrial workforce development and technical training.

In this role, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will:

• Support the ORNL team in establishing a scalable industrial workforce consortium to address the current shortage of skilled labor in the industrial sector while advancing the US Department of Energy’s vision for achieving zero-carbon industries.
• Provide technical support and guidance to consortium partners to develop and pilot solutions that can be scaled for national reach and/or broad sectoral coverage.
• Assist with ongoing industrial workforce development activities (e.g., In-Plant Trainings, Virtual In-Plant Trainings, Bootcamps, Webinar Series, etc.) for DOE Better Plants and Better Climate Challenge programs.
• Conduct research and analysis on the status of the industrial workforce development market to identify gaps, barriers, and challenges, and propose long-term and scalable solutions.

The Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research & Analysis (MEERA) Group, housed within the Manufacturing Science Division (MSD), Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is currently seeking to fill a position for a Postdoctoral Research Associate. This role entails engaging in research within the domains of renewable energy and the implementation of clean energy technologies on-site, along with their associated supportive technologies (such as solar photovoltaics, solar thermal systems, wind power, renewable fuels, geothermal solutions, battery storage, thermal storage, and industrial heat pumps). The role also involves research and analysis of technologies and practices for increasing the energy efficiency of the industrial sectors. The primary objective is the direct reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the industrial sector.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. Our capabilities span a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines, enabling the Laboratory to explore fundamental science challenges and to carry out the research needed to accelerate the delivery of solutions to the marketplace.

The Biosciences Division (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/ees/bsd/) of ORNL has an opening for a plant biologist (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Plant Systems Biology) to conduct basic research on plant genes and phenotypes that are foundational to developing sustainable biomass feedstocks. Selected applicant will join a team of diverse, cross-disciplinary scientific and technical staff working to characterize and understand the variation in plant phenotyping traits and response to microbial inoculation and abiotic stresses and link these to genetic information under the Plant-Microbe Interfaces (PMI) Scientific Focus Area project (https://pmiweb.ornl.gov/).

We are seeking a postdoctoral research associate who will study the dynamics of low-energy, high-charge ion beams. This project will utilize the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Beam Test Facility, a front-end replica with advanced diagnostics. This position resides in the Accelerator Physics Group in the Accelerator Science and Technology Section, Research Accelerator Division, Neutron Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  

You will be part of a dynamic team working on multiple aspects of this problem. You will have a chance to learn about specialized diagnostics, particularly for high dynamic range and high dimensional measurement of particle beam distributions. This project is motivated by the limitation presented by uncontrolled beam loss to the performance of high-power accelerators such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The goal of this work is to demonstrate predictive modeling of beam distributions in a realistic accelerator, and as such includes an emphasis on computation modeling.

The Sensors and Embedded Systems Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking applications for a postdoctoral research associate with expertise in process monitoring and control methods to support automation of complex systems. The ideal candidate has experience with (a) simulation of physico-chemical systems, (b) the selection and use of high-frequency data streams for process monitoring, and (c) practical validation of advanced control methods.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has an exciting opportunity to work with the Plasma Theory and Modeling Group Leader, Dr. Gary Staebler, on the theory development of the high impact, gyro-fluid system (GFS) that will become the core linear eigenmode solver for the TGLF quasi-linear transport model (https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2044587). The GFS system has a flexible velocity space resolution and is fully electromagnetic as a linear eigenmode solver. The selected candidate will work with Dr Staebler, and other ORNL scientist, on the continued development of the new GFS (https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0159054) system of moment equations of the gyrokinetic equations. Extension of the GFS equations to include multi-species collisions, and high Mach number rotation, will be made during the postdoctoral appointment. Exploration of advanced GPU acceleration methods, and extension to 3-D magnetic geometry, are among the many near-term opportunities for additional development of GFS. Successful completion of this postdoctoral appointment will prepare the applicant to apply the TGLF-GFS transport model to validation of energy, particle, momentum, impurity, and fast ion transport at US and international fusion experimental facilities, and to participate in reactor design optimization with the FREDA whole facility modeling framework being developed by a team lead by ORNL.

The Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research & Analysis (MEERA) Group, housed within the Manufacturing Science Division (MSD), Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is currently seeking to fill a position for a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The role entails contributing to MEERA group’s mission of disseminating knowledge on energy, carbon, water, and material efficiency in the manufacturing sector and develop, deploy, and promote impactful practices, tools, and technologies. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in mechanical engineering, industrial energy systems, renewable energy, decarbonization, or other related fields. The candidate will play a crucial role in the planning, execution, and optimization of our technical assistance program for energy intensive industries (iron & steel, food, pulp & paper, chemicals, nonferrous metals, and nonmetallic minerals). The primary objective of the energy intensive industries (EIIs) program is to engage with manufacturers from energy-intensive industrial sectors to better understand their specific needs and issues in implementing energy efficiency and decarbonization activities. The candidate will work closely with program allies, subject matter experts and technical trade associations to ensure successful delivery of technical assistance to energy intensive manufacturing participants.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Incident Modeling and Computational Sciences Group in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division, National Security Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with a background in post-detonation nuclear fallout research and with expertise in at least one of the following: hydrodynamic codes, material science, particulate physiochemical characterization, atmospheric physics, or health physics modelling.

The Integrative Microbiomics Group in the Biosciences Division (https://www.ornl.gov/group/integrative-microbiomics) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has an opening for a mycologist or plant pathologist to work as part of Plant Microbe Interfaces (PMI) Science Focus Area (https://pmiweb.ornl.gov/). PMI is funded by DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) with the goal to gain a deeper understanding of the diversity and functioning of mutually beneficial interactions between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere.

In this position, you will work as part of an interdisciplinary team to understand the roles of fungal secondary metabolites in community establishment. You will be expected to integrate with technical support staff, as well as scientist in integrative microbiomics, synthetic biology, and the bioanalytical mass spectrometry groups at ORNL and partner institutions. You will design and execute laboratory experiments, analyze quantitative data, write, and communicate results to the scientific community.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Composites Innovation Group in the Manufacturing Science Division (MSD), Energy Science and Technology (ESTD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The candidate will focus on developing a manufacturing process optimization framework for polymer composites through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA). The work will also involve sensor data analysis from composite manufacturing equipment. Our research division carries out high quality R&D focused on the strategic composite material needs of the aerospace, automotive, and marine/shipbuilding industries as well as trending areas of international composite research in material science, mechanical and chemical engineering, and automation. The successful candidate will conduct research in the area of polymer composite manufacturing, specifically on the process optimization for the advancement of current manufacturing technologies, the development of the optimization framework, and the implementation of new optimization technologies.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Integrative Microbiomics Group in the Biosciences Division, Biological and Environmental System Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In this role, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with a group of scientists to examine how variation in plant-fungal associations influences host stress tolerance and ecosystem carbon cycling.

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Composites Innovation Group in the Manufacturing Science Division (MSD), Energy Science and Technology (ESTD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the composite manufacturing technologies through machine learning and physics-based simulations, specifically finite element analysis (FEA) for polymer composites. The candidate will also focus on developing a manufacturing process optimization framework for polymer composites through physics-based simulations, sensors from machines, and artificial intelligence.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct basic and applied research in support of the DOE-funded Plant Microbe Interfaces project (PMI SFA; https://pmiweb.ornl.gov/) and the Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research mission. This position resides in the Biosciences Division within the Molecular and Cellular Imaging group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). 

The successful candidate will be part of a multi-disciplinary team and conduct research focused on developing methods for the generation and utilization of plant and microbial signaling molecules and molecular reporters to enable imaging of subsurface dynamics in plant-microbe-soil systems. Desired experience includes chemical and biochemical synthesis; nanoparticle synthesis, modification, and characterization; fundamentals of imaging methods on plants and microbes; and general knowledge of spectroscopies for characterizing molecules, nanoparticles, microbes, and plants. Additionally, experience in the development of molecular reporters, bioconjugation, and stable isotope reporters are encouraged. Opportunities to learn and develop various techniques surrounding the field of plant-microbe interfaces will be supported. It is expected that the candidate will publish their research accomplishments in peer-reviewed journals and present them at scientific meetings.

The Nuclear and Extreme Environments Measurements (NEEM) Group within the Fuel Development Section (FDS), Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division (NEFCD), Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), seeks applicants for a post doctorial position with an emphasis in instrumentation and controls hardware and software development for nuclear thermal rockets and other next-generation nuclear reactors. The NEEM group is passionate about research & development (R&D) of hardware and software solutions for advanced reactor applications such as micro-reactors, molten salt reactors, and space nuclear reactors and the development of autonomous controls for these next-generation reactors.

The position will involve system architecture, design, implementation, and testing including hands on work with our mock-reactor autonomous controls testbed. The primary function of this position is to develop autonomous controls to be implemented in hardware-in-the-loop testbed. The controls will be expected to respond to fault conditions. Also, the applicant should understand actuator hardware and be willing to provide guidance on “best-practices” for hard-in-the-loop testbed development.

The Advanced Reactor Engineering and Development (ARED) Section in the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division (NEFCD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the development, qualification, and deployment of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation codes, methods, and best practices for thermal-hydraulics analyses of energy systems. 

This position will be part of the Thermal Hydraulics group, which supports the development and application of multiphysics and multiscale models and simulations supporting the design, optimization, qualification, and deployment of thermal management systems associated with a broad range of large-scale energy production and energy-intensive industrial applications. 

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.

The Building Equipment Research Group in the Buildings and Transportation Science Division (BTSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking qualified candidates to fill a Postdoctoral researcher position. The work in this group supports the U.S. DOE Building Technology Office, Geothermal Technology Office, and other customers by developing state-of-the-art building equipment for energy efficiency, equipment-to-grid integration, and improved life cycle climate performance.