Postdoctoral Appointee - Fire Science & Technology Optical/Laser Diagnostics

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.

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.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Appointee to support the thermal diagnostic programs at the Thermal Test Complex (TTC), a one-of-a-kind national asset! Are you passionate about research? Are you dreaming of an opportunity to thrive in a multidisciplinary team environment that offers access to state-of-the-art testing facilities? If so, you will want to apply for this opportunity.

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

• Work with a dynamic team of fire scientists, engineers, technologists, and trades people to design, build, and perform fire and radiant heating experiments supporting a diverse set of missions, including nuclear weapons development and qualification missions.
• Collaborate on multiple research projects in the areas of combustion, fire, pyrolysis, and multiphase flows with experiments conducted at lab-scale and in Sandia's world-class large-scale testing facilities.
• Conduct independent research and perform analysis of large experimental data sets using computer programming and image processing.
• Develop and field diagnostic tools under mentorship of Sandia technical experts.
• Augment the body of knowledge through the publication and presentation of research results to the scientific community.
• Provide insight into physical phenomena of fires and the fate of objects exposed to abnormal thermal environments, generating data for building and validating heat transfer and thermal response models, and qualifying the safety and performance of nuclear weapons and other systems of relevance to national security.

Join our team and achieve your goals while making a difference!

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

Qualifications We Require:

• PhD, conferred within 5 years prior to employment, in engineering, physics, chemistry or a related field
• Experience performing experimental research utilizing spectroscopic techniques
• Experience in optical diagnostics with background in laser- or x-ray-based techniques
• Experience with computer programming and tools such as LabVIEW, Matlab, C++, FORTRAN, Python, or similar language
• Outstanding communication skills, as evidenced by a demonstrated record of peer-reviewed journal publications and/or conference presentations
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Security Clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

• Experience in the design, fabrication and/or deployment of small or large optical, mechanical, and/or electrical test systems
• Experience with one or more of the following diagnostic approaches:
• Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF)
• Particle-image velocimetry (PIV)
• Thermographic phosphors
• Infrared imaging or pyrometry
• X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
• Experience in image processing (ex. Fourier analysis, feature tracking) and producing data processing algorithms
• Familiarity with multiple detector architectures (ex. CCD, CMOS, CdTe)
• Ability to independently guide research while working in the context of a larger team
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Q clearance and Sigma 15 (subject to random polygraph)

About Our Team:

The Fire Science and Technology Department performs experimental and phenomenological fire research to support Sandia's national security mission. The main focus of the department is to ensure the safety and security needs of nuclear weapons in abnormal thermal environments. The department offers a spectrum of computational and experimental capabilities for addressing fire related challenges throughout the government, civilian, and industrial sectors. Efforts in the computational arena include development of physics-based subgrid models for phenomena important to fire dynamics, detection and suppression. The department maintains and operates unique facilities for radiant heating, open and enclosed large fires. These facilities are used in conjunction with new diagnostics and experimental capabilities developed and employed to provide data for discovery, validation, and system qualification. The group interacts extensively with complementary technical organizations in computational sciences and thermal and fluid sciences within the Center, across the laboratory, and with academia and government.

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.

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.

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: 687430