Computational Materials Science for In-Space Welding, Joining, and Additive Manufacturing

ORAU; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A NASA-affiliated research organization is seeking postdoctoral scholars to engage in the NASA Postdoctoral Program. Successful candidates will focus on developing computational materials science techniques for in-space applications, including welding and additive manufacturing. The position is open to U.S. citizens who hold a Doctoral Degree, with a strong emphasis on experience with high-performance computing and fluid dynamics. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to significant research in an interdisciplinary environment.

Qualifications

• Experience with computational materials science and fluid dynamics methods desired.
• Experience with high-performance computing platforms, including parallelization.
• Familiarity with techniques such as phase field modeling, cellular automata, and finite element.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply expertise to the ICME workflow for in-space applications.
• Innovate novel and existing processes and alloys for in-space welding and AM.

Skills

Computational materials science

Fluid dynamics methods

Density functional theory

Molecular dynamics

High-performance computing

Education

Doctoral Degree

Tools

Unix environments

Job description

NASA Postdoctoral Program

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one‑to‑three‑year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

Description

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is advancing welding, joining, and additive manufacturing (AM) processes for in‑space environments that will build structures and spacecraft components in Earth orbit, Lunar orbit, the Lunar surface, and beyond. The approach will infuse Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) tools that link the physics and length scales of process modeling, metallurgical modeling, and atomistic techniques into these in‑space domains.

The ICME scheme will evaluate the effects of microgravity, reduced pressures down to vacuum, and extreme temperatures & thermal cycles associated with in‑space environments on the melting, solidification, and subsequent mechanical behavior of materials subject to processing.

The Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) group at MSFC and the MSFC Materials and Processes Laboratory (EM) are seeking a postdoctoral scholar to develop and apply their expertise to the ICME workflow for in‑space applications. The postdoc will apply models in order to innovate novel and existing processes and alloys for in‑space welding, joining, and AM.

Field of Science

Interdisciplinary

Advisors

• Jeffrey Sowards – [e-mail] [phone]
• Fredrick Michael – [e-mail] [phone]

Qualifications

Experience with computational materials science and fluid dynamics methods and techniques highly desired. While an applicant need not have experience in all of these, relevant methods may include but are not limited to density functional theory, molecular dynamics, CALPHAD, phase field modeling, cellular automata, lattice Boltzmann, volume of fluid, and finite element. Experience with high‑performance computing platforms, including parallelization and Unix environments, desired.

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree.

Point of Contact: Mikeala