36 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States

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 Carbon and Composites Group in the Chemical Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  

You will be working at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF – https://web.ornl.gov/sci/manufacturing/mdf/) to advance manufacturing technologies and to facilitate and accelerate their deployment to industry.  The MDF is home to a cohort of 3D printing, machining, and hybrid manufacturing systems producing complex components with a wide range of materials and sizes. The systems are instrumented and connected to a digital environment to produce and collect digital twins of components fabricated in the facility. Additionally, information is collected at every step of the manufacturing process to create terabyte-sized, multi-modal, spatiotemporal datasets that capture how each component was manufactured.

In this digital environment, you will use these data to gain a greater understanding of our systems and develop the data analytics algorithms or artificial intelligence techniques to process these data. You will be actively engaged in the research and development of software and hardware techniques to explore three areas of interest: (1) real time quality control of manufacturing processes; (2) understanding correlations between manufacturing intent, machine behavior, and part quality; and (3) optimization of manufacturing processes targeting higher throughput and part quality. You will have access to ample resources to be successful in this position, and therefore you are expected to publish new research in professional journals and to present your results to the scientific community at various conferences. With over 100 systems at the MDF, you will have the possibility to work on very different projects and multiple opportunities to explore multiple facets of data science, and to grow your skillsets and career while having a measurable impact in the success of the MDF.

The Fusion Technology Group of the Fusion Energy Division (FED) of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a postdoctoral research associate to support the advancement of plasma heating, current drive, and integrated radio frequency (RF) technology development as part of programs supported by the U.S. DOE Office of Science Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Program and other related public and private partnerships.

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 Carbon and Composites Group in the Chemical Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will focus on first-principles theoretical/computational modeling of topological quantum materials.  This position will be funded by the Quantum Science Center, a consortium of universities, national laboratories and industrial partners head quartered at ORNL, with the goal of realizing the potential of topological quantum materials for manipulating, transferring and storing quantum information. As part of our research team, you will work closely with experimentalists who synthesize and characterize quantum materials. First-principles based computational modeling will help interpreting experimental results, guiding synthesis experiment, and identifying materials with improved functional properties.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate for Biomaterial Development who will focus on design, processing and characterization of bio-composite materials composed of biomass (eg. micro/nano-cellulose, natural fibers like hemp) and polymers (e.g. polylacti acid, polypropylene). Under general supervision, the candidate will conduct experimental research around lignocellulosic processing, thermoplastic processing (eg. melt-mixing, extrusion, injection, or compression molding), composite preparation, evaluation of thermal, mechanical and rheological properties, and related characterization techniques for understanding structure-processing-property relationships of materials. This position resides in the Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies Group in the Composite Technology Section, Manufacturing Sciences Division, and the Energy Science and Technology Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)!

The Environmental Sciences Division (ESD), http://www.esd.ornl.gov at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), http://www.ornl.gov seeks a highly motivated and creative individual skilled in biogeochemistry or stream ecology to work on a project investigating the effects of coupled geochemical, microbiological, and hydrological processes on mercury (Hg) transformations leading to the formation and destruction of methyl mercury in sediment-surface water systems.  Current research at ORNL in this area spans from the molecular to the field scales although for this position work will be conducted at the laboratory microcosm to field scales.  The integration of field, laboratory, and simulation research will be used to inform decisions related to environmental remediation and long-term stewardship of terrestrial and aquatic systems. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security.

We are seeking an outstanding Postdoctoral Research Associate with experience in modeling the structure and dynamics of charged polymers. The position resides in the Nanomaterials Theory Institute (NTI) at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) Division, Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and will be associated with the Harnessing Complex Macromolecular Conformations (HCMC) science theme at the CNMS.

As part of our research team, you will be working with a highly interdisciplinary team of scientists at the CNMS, and across other divisions at ORNL, including the Chemical Sciences Division with complementary skillsets in density functional theory, and impedance measurements.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Geochemistry and Interfacial Sciences Group, Chemical Transformation Section in the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD), Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The postdoctoral researcher will focus on combined carbon capture and conversion in ionic liquids and aqueous electrolytes. 

This position is funded by an Energy Research Frontier Center (EFRC) – the Center for Understanding and controlling Accelerated and Gradual Evolution of Materials for Energy (UNCAGE-ME III). The goal of this research project is to gain a fundamental understanding of how degradation of catalysts during combined capture and conversion of carbon dioxide using ionic liquids and aqueous electrolytes

The MEERA Group actively contributes to the efforts of the Department of Energy’s Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO) in providing technical assistance. The focus of this assistance revolves around identifying and facilitating the deployment of on-site clean energy solutions. These solutions aim to generate energy that is both flexible and dependable, thereby contributing to the reduction of GHG emissions. Furthermore, these efforts align with the overarching goal of promoting corporate sustainability within the industrial sector.

The successful candidate will focus their research efforts on understanding the fate and transformation of Hg under a broad range of environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) in engineered and natural settings.  Specific tasks include design and execution of independent experiments, working independently and within a team in lab and field settings collecting, processing, and preserving samples, and processing and analyzing the samples in the laboratory. Summarizing research in oral and written format, active participation in internal and external scientific meetings, and publishing research in open peer-reviewed journals is expected.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Computational and Predictive Biology Group in the Biosciences Division (BSD), Biological and Environmental Systems Sciences (BESSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  

The Biosciences Division is focused on advancing science and technology to better understand complex biological systems and their relationship with the environment. BSD has expertise and special facilities in genomics, computational systems biology, microbiology, microbial ecology, biophysics, and structural biology. Computational systems biology research includes methods development and use to analyze large scale omics, greenhouse, field, and clinical datasets to derive insights and hypotheses suitable for further experimental validation and to improve researchers’ ability to further advance understanding of biological systems.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will focus on scientific projects to advance our understanding of quantum materials, primarily using neutron scattering techniques. This position resides in the Direct Geometry Group in the Spectroscopy Section, Neutron Scattering Division, Neutron Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  

As a postdoctoral fellow you will work as part of a team whose interests include, but are not limited to, quantum spin liquid materials, fractional magnetic excitations, phase transitions, reduced dimensionality and strongly correlated materials. Your core research will involve performing elastic, inelastic and polarized neutron measurements on powder and single crystal materials using the world leading neutron scattering instruments at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at ORNL. Additionally, you will collaborate with colleagues at the Quantum Science Center located at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. This position represents an excellent opportunity to study quantum matter in a stimulating multidisciplinary environment at ORNL.

We are seeking a skilled postdoctoral research associate who will focus on computational studies, including classical atomistic modeling and first-principles calculations, of ion solvation structure and electrodeposition process at nonaqueous and aqueous interfaces. This position is within the Energy Storage and Conversion Group (ESCG) in the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD), Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and will involve collaborations with scientists/team members from an Energy Earthshot Research Center (EERC) team within and outside of ORNL. Potential candidates are expected to contribute to developing methods to perform computational simulations to study ion solvation structure in various liquid medium and at the interfaces. The successful candidate will join a large diverse team with a background in physics, materials, and chemistry. Close collaboration with experimental colleagues is expected.

(18) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position

Postdoc Fellowship Position summary/title: Postdoctoral Research Associate in AI/ML for algorithm development for self-driving laboratories

Deadline : Open Until Filled

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The PSR Group supports the research on energy security and resilience of the power grid at the Energy Department (DOE) through advancement of modeling, simulation, and real-time monitoring of the power grid, including research supporting the Office of Electricity (OE), Grid Deployment Office (GDO), Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER). and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on the integration of new technologies, identifying and validating new ways of using existing and emerging grid assets to ensure grid reliability, grid resilience, environmental stewardship, and affordability of energy supplies. The PSR group focuses on resilience, data analytics, protection, and EMT simulation research.

The Transportation Analytics & Decision Sciences (TADS) Group within the Buildings and Transportation Science Division (BTSD), Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is seeking applicants for a Postdoc Researcher in transportation analysis and modeling. The TADS Group assists the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT), and other federal agencies in developing solutions to national transportation problems. TADS researchers conduct spatial and statistical analyses, build applications and models, and carry out engineering and economic analyses of issues pertaining to the transportation sector. This position will primarily support a multi-disciplinary effort that heavily focuses on freight and passenger transportation systems, estimation of fuel consumption, modeling, big data analysis, as well as developing data tools.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will contribute to the development of novel modeling and characterization frameworks that will be based on 1) simulation or characterization of the microstructures of ceramics using 3D characterization techniques, 2) establishing connections between material structure and mechanical properties, 3) predicting the behavior of ceramics under extreme environments. Moreover, the candidate will contribute to the constitutive modeling frameworks and develop image-based models for high-temperature ceramics. Knowledge and experience of relevant characterization techniques, including x-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, or other microscopy 3D techniques, is desirable. These modeling and microscopy approaches will be combined with experimental data to evaluate various ceramic materials. Demonstrated experience in implementing nonlinear constitutive models in commercial finite element (FE) codes is desirable. You will be expected to collaborate with research staff and industry partners focused on material research and development through computational modeling and multimodal characterization.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Deposition Science and Technology Group in the Manufacturing Science Division (MSD), Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).   The Postdoctoral Research Associate will contribute to the establishment of constitutive modeling frameworks and development of computationally efficient physics emulators. These analyses will be combined with experimental data and used towards the evaluation of additively manufactured and conventionally manufactured high temperature materials. A strong background in mechanical behavior of materials is required.  Demonstrated experience in the implementation of nonlinear constitutive models in commercial finite element (FE) codes is required.  Strong background with probability and statistics is required. You will be expected to collaborate with research staff and industry partners focused on both conventionally fabricated and additively manufactured materials and to assist with material qualification through computational modeling.

The Applied Research in Mobility Systems (ARMS) group within the Buildings and Transportation Science Division (BTSD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking applicants for the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate.  The Applied Research in Mobility Systems group focuses on accelerating the development of advanced vehicles and complex mobility systems through advances in connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, communications, systems integration, simulation frameworks, and decision science.  The objective of the hiring group is to provide leadership in advanced mobility systems decision science, transportation infrastructure deployment roadmaps, development of national transportation systems decarbonization (through electrification) blueprints, associated hardware-in-the-loop research, and simulation frameworks, to accelerate the development of transportation technologies from component-level to full vehicle and ultimately to system applications.

Through its energy efficiency & decarbonization technical assistance programs, the MEERA group develops a diverse portfolio of industrial energy efficiency tools and resources delivered to the manufacturing sector through various technical assistance and training events worldwide. The MEERA group actively supports industry partners in improving manufacturing plant energy efficiency and decarbonization through roles in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants and Better Climate Challenge programs.  

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Powder Diffraction Group who will develop in situ diffraction capabilities for neutron diffractometers at SNS and HFIR, including POWGEN & NOMAD at SNS and HB2A POWDER & HB2C WAND² at HFIR. The Powder Diffraction Group resides in the Neutron Scattering Division (NSD), Neutron Sciences Directorate (NScD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). More details about the instruments and their scientific impact can be found at https://neutrons.ornl.gov/powgen, https://neutrons.ornl.gov/nomad, https://neutrons.ornl.gov/powder, https://neutrons.ornl.gov/wand.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will reside in the Triple-Axis Spectroscopy Group in the Neutron Scattering Division (NSD), Neutron Sciences Directorate (NScD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). NScD operates the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the United States’ highest flux reactor-based neutron source, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world’s most intense pulsed accelerator-based neutron source. Together these facilities operate 30 instruments for neutron scattering research, each year carrying out more than 1,000 experiments in the physical, chemical, materials, biological and medical sciences. HFIR also provides unique facilities for isotope production and neutron irradiation. 

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 call is supported by the advanced low enriched uranium fuel for nonproliferation applications program. This program focuses on developing new nuclear fuel forms and increasing the permissible service envelopes of known nuclear fuels in collaboration with industry and other DOE laboratories. The program’s goal is to screen and advance fuel concepts, new methods, and materials technologies to enable high performance, compact nuclear reactors for remote power generation, space exploration, and other demanding environments. This objective requires advances in manufacturing technologies, improved understanding of nuclear fuel properties as a function of processing and service variables, development of novel separate effect tests and methods to couple experimental and modelling efforts, and enhanced post irradiation examination methodologies. This call will specifically focus on topics related to nuclear fuel cycle development, solid state processing and characterization of ceramic actinide materials, radiation effects in ceramic actinide compounds for nuclear fuel systems, property measurements, and simulations relevant to the development of nuclear fuel forms.

The Plant Systems Biology Group seeks to explore and understand the network of traits, genes, proteins, metabolites, and environmental signals that lead to improved plant characteristics and performance. The selected candidate will be based in the plant systems biology group, which is undertaking broad, integrated approaches to enhance fundamental understanding of genetic controls of plant productivity, biomass quality and sustainability, and carbon sequestration using bioenergy-relevant plants. The specific project will be within the Plant-Microbe Interfaces SFA which seeks to understand how the soil microbiome interacts with Poplar species, and specifically how microbes interact with root traits and plant physiology to make resilient plants. The successful applicant would have access to state-of-the-art technologies such as the Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory, rhizoboxes, and microfluidics devices such as rhizosphere-on-a-chip. Major duties/responsibilities include:

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.

The chosen candidate is expected to perform research that expands the state-of-the-art for data- and physics-based models for process supervision in a diverse range of applications, including electrical grid monitoring, additive manufacturing, and water treatment. The chosen candidate is expected to publish the results of their research.

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.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the largest US Department of Energy (DOE) 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 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.

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.

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.

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 Biosciences Division (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/ees/bsd/) of ORNL has an opening for a plant biologist (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Plant Synthetic Biology) to work on plant biosystems design and genetic improvement of bioenergy crops. This research is supported by the Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design Science Focus Area (SEED SFA) (https://seed-sfa.ornl.gov/) and the DOE Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) (https://cbi.ornl.gov/).

In this position, the postdoctoral researcher will work in close collaboration with a diverse team of scientists to perform the following research tasks: 1) Engineering of plant hosts for regulating associated microbes, 2) engineering of plant-based biosensors for detecting microbes, 3) multi-gene engineering in plants, and 4) new plant synthetic biology tool development.