Senior/Principal R&D Electronics Engineer - Radiation Effects Experimentation and Analysis, Onsite

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.

About the role

We seek an experienced and motivated engineer or physicist to perform radiation effects experimentation in support of component and system qualification activities as well as novel research of the same. This includes testing piece part microelectronics as well as functional circuit assemblies to inform design and qualification activities. In this position, your work may range from performing experiments, informing design, or running simulations to predict and better understand electronic performance in radiation environments. The projects you will support include a range of direct ND PRT support as well as supporting and leading novel research funded through Science and Technology (S&T) portfolios as well as Lab Directed Research and Development.

You will work in a collaborative environment with a complementary team and have access to some of the world's most powerful facilities, tools, and expertise to evaluate device performance in radiation environments including neutrons, x-rays, gamma, and electromagnetic environments to understand damage mechanisms, single-event effects (SEE), dose rate effects, and total ionizing dose (TID) effects.

Responsibilities

• Team with other specialists to perform radiation experiments at innovative facilities, designing experiments, and analyzing results.
• Perform experiments or simulations to investigate radiation effects in electronics and other test objects.
• Summarize findings in internal reports and, as appropriate, publish results in journal articles and present at conferences.
• Clearly communicate new insights or observations to internal and external stakeholders and customers.

Some travel will be required for activities such as performing experiments and attending project meetings and conferences. Due to the nature of the work, the selected candidate must be able to work onsite.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain a DOE Q clearance.

Qualifications

We Desire:

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a highly related field where an independent project was a graduation requirement (e.g. independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Demonstrated experience with analog and digital circuit design and analysis.
• Hands-on experience testing and debugging circuitry, with clear mastery of tools, such as oscilloscopes, logic/network/spectrum analyzers, function/pulse generators, etc.
• Proven experience with design and analysis tools (e.g. MATLAB and LabVIEW), analog simulation codes (e.g. LTSpice), and HDL simulation codes (e.g. ModelSim).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Master's degree in STEM-related field (Engineering, Materials Sciences, Physics or a closely relevant field) plus four (4) years of experience.
• Experience with electronic testing or design.
• General knowledge in radiation sciences and effects in electronics.
• Experience with radiation testing of microelectronics such as single-event effects (SEE), total ionizing dose (TID), and/or dose rate effects.
• Working knowledge of semiconductor solid state physics.
• Experience modeling radiation effects in electronics using semiconductor device or circuit-level simulation tools.
• Strong data analysis skills.
• A strong track record of scientific and/or technical achievements through publication, as evidenced by peer-reviewed journals and external presentations at appropriate scientific conferences.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams.

About the team

The Radiation Effects Experimentation and Analysis Department is committed to ensuring the operational capability of the nation's nuclear stockpile in radiation and electromagnetic environments. Our work spans a diverse range of activities, from fundamental radiation effects research to the qualification of electronic components, subsystems, and systems against both natural and man-made radiation environments, including those produced by nuclear detonations.

We accomplish our mission by conducting both basic and applied radiation effects research on materials, electronics, and surrogate test objects. This includes rigorous testing and evaluation using advanced photon, ion, neutron, electron, and laser sources located at Sandia National Laboratories and other facilities across the United States. In addition to experimental work, we develop critical radiation, electrical, and plasma diagnostics to accurately characterize our test environments. We also perform simulations to analyze how electronics and other test objects respond to radiation.

A key focus of our department is the design, measurement, analysis, and simulation of response data from surrogate test articles. This work is crucial for validating Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) computer codes, which are utilized to qualify weapon and satellite electronic systems against various pulsed radiation environments and effects. Additionally, our personnel provide expert guidance to electronic designers, ensuring the implementation of effective design techniques to mitigate the harmful effects of radiation. We also conduct qualification assessments of nuclear weapon hardware for each of Sandia's production groups.

Pay

Salary range is estimated at $117,500 - $235,700. Actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Benefits

• Challenging work with impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide.
• Extraordinary co-workers and 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.

These benefits vary by job classification.

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.