Postdoctoral Appointee - Modeling and Simulation of Thermal Protection Systems for Hypersonic Reentry Vehicles, Onsite

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 vacations, 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:

You could be the postdoctoral appointee we are seeking to partner with a dedicated team performing modeling and simulation research for the development of thermal protection systems (TPS) for hypersonic reentry vehicles. We are developing mesoscale and macroscale models that couple multiple physics across length scales to predict the performance and degradation of composite heat shield materials in hypersonic flight environments. You will develop and implement these models on Sandia’s extensive high-performance computing assets using innovative multi-physics simulation codes. We also desire to combine high-fidelity simulation with experimental data and machine learning techniques to develop the best integrated solution for our national security. You will demonstrate proficiencies and interest in research spanning multiple fields, including heat transport, multi-material mechanical deformation, composite materials, microscale/mesoscale modeling, chemistry, and fluid dynamics.

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

• Develop mathematical models for coupled fluid, thermal, chemical, radiative, and mechanical physics in composite materials or in component systems at the meso- and/or macro-scales.
• Perform large-scale computational analyses to answer scientific and engineering questions supporting hypersonic heat shield material development.
• Combine physics simulations with experimental data and machine learning techniques to deliver solutions to national security problems.
• Work efficiently and independently under the supervision of a senior Sandia technical staff member.
• Interact within a dynamic team of experimental and computational scientists and engineers to develop this mission critical TPS technology.
• Publish work in peer-reviewed scientific publications and in internal technical reports.
• Present work to team members, customers, and the larger scientific community.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Postdoctoral Appointee Salary is $98,500/annual for NM Location.

Qualifications We Require:

• You have, or are pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or other related engineering or natural science field and will have completed your Ph.D. prior to starting at Sandia
• Experience in computational modeling and simulation with coupling of various physical domains such as thermal, mechanical, chemical, and/or fluid physics
• Experience with high-level programming or scripting languages, such as Python or C+
• + Experience with the Linux operating system
• Proven track record of publications and innovation, as evidenced by peer-reviewed journals and external presentations at scientific conferences
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q security clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

• Experience in composite materials modeling
• Experience in hypersonic vehicles
• Experience in material science, materials processing, or materials manufacture including familiarity with composite, porous, or complex materials
• Experience in bringing together materials processing, modeling, and experimental methods to improve material properties
• Experience developing gas-surface interaction or surface chemistry models
• Experience with advanced simulation techniques (FEM/FEA, CFD, etc.) on massively parallel computing clusters
• Python development experience
• Experience with object-oriented programming in C++ within an existing, large code base.
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., git, etc.)

About Our Team:

The Thermal/Fluid Component Sciences Department at Sandia National Laboratories provides a wide range of fluid modeling and analysis, and experimental discovery and validation support in discipline areas such as: incompressible flow, porous flow, reactive flow, multiphase flow, thermal/fluid coupling, suspensions, plasma physics, and rarefied gas dynamics. The department supports activities spanning the entire research-design-analysis spectrum, from creating fundamental physical models, to developing computational algorithms and codes, to applying these models and codes to solve fluid and plasma problems in a wide range of applications.

Posting Duration:

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.

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.

Job ID: 694121

Job Family: 92

Regular/Temporary Position: T

Full/Part-Time Status: F