Postdoctorial Research Associate

What You Will Do

The Fluid Mechanics and Solid Mechanics group (T-3) of the Theoretical Division is seeking a highly motivated and productive postdoctoral candidate to contribute to the development and application of advanced computational models for manufacturing processes, with an emphasis on solidification in metals and alloys and large-scale simulation on emerging exascale architectures. Research activities may include the enhancement of phase-field models for microstructure evolution, grain evolution and segregation physics; continuum-scale fluid and solid mechanics modeling; development and application of AI/ML methodologies to integrate experimental and simulation data for manufacturing-process optimization; and numerical implementation and algorithm development within existing finite element codes. Collaboration with experimentalists will help facilitate calibration and validation of new models and enhancements.

A successful applicant will engage in frequent communication of accomplishments with the primary mentor, contribute their expertise to technical discussions, fulfill technical goals, and satisfy required deliverables, such as codes, models, and expertise in the form of LANL reports, peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and software; and will agree to and follow LANL safety and security procedures.

What You Need

• Minimum Job Requirements: Education/Experience: A Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, Civil Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, or related fields is required. The candidate must be within 5 years of completion of their Ph.D. or soon to be completed prior to appointment.

• Knowledge and/or experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • Welding, casting and advanced manufacturing processes
  • Experience in C/C++, MPI, Trilinos, Kokkos, OpenMP, CUDA, HIP/ROCm or any other programming languages and software used for large-scale parallel, scientific applications

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Desired Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of, or demonstrated interest in developing expertise in, one or more of the following areas:

  • Experience in phase-field modeling of microstructure evolution, solidification, grain growth, segregation, or related materials phenomena
  • Development of numerical algorithms for parallel scientific applications on high-performance computing (HPC) platforms, including emerging and exascale architectures
  • Finite element methods, implicit time integration schemes, and linear and nonlinear solver technologies
  • Continuum-scale fluid and solid mechanics
  • Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and numerical optimization methods for scientific computing and materials modeling
  • Model calibration, validation, and uncertainty quantification using experimental and computational data

• Ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative research environment

• Strong record of peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations

Work Environment

Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Note to Applicants

Include current CV and a cover letter which addresses how your experience fulfills the required and desired qualifications and includes contact information for three professional references. The postdoc appointment is valid for two years. Candidates must be eligible to obtain a Q Clearance, which requires U.S. Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances.

Additional Details

Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.

New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.

Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.

Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process.

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