Modeling and Simulation of Inertial Confinement Fusion Physics Postdoc

Los Alamos National Laboratory; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PPO or high-deductible medical insurance

Dental and vision insurance

401(k) with 6% matching plus annual increase

Flexible schedules

Onsite gyms and wellness programs

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking a postdoctoral candidate for code development in plasma physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). Candidates should have a PhD in a relevant field and be proficient in Fortran, C/C++, or Python.

This role involves developing physics packages for the xRAGE code, validating models, and collaborating on ICF simulations. Benefits include competitive medical insurance, retirement plans, and flexible schedules.

Qualifications

• Strong background in numerical methods and modeling HEDP or related systems.
• Ability to obtain a DOE Q Clearance (requires US citizenship).
• Strong record of publications commensurate with experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop physics packages for the xRAGE code related to plasma physics.
• Validate physics models and implement new capabilities for ICF simulations.
• Collaborate with experimentalists and computational scientists.

Skills

Fortran

C/C++

Python

Numerical methods

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Physics, Astrophysics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or related field

Job description

What You Will Do

The Eulerian Codes Group (XCP-2) in the X-Computational Physics (XCP) Division is seeking a postdoctoral candidate in code development and modeling related to plasma physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). The work will involve contributing to the development of physics packages for the xRAGE code, validating physics models, implementing new capabilities to simulate ICF implosions, performing detailed code comparisons, collaborating with experimentalists and computational scientists, and publishing results.

Specific Models

• Extended magnetohydrodynamics (for pulsed power experiments)
• Synthetic x-ray, neutron, gamma, and/or radiochemistry diagnostics
• Reduced models for laser-plasma interactions and coupling to hot‑electron transport
• Monte Carlo charged particle transport (thermonuclear reaction products)
• Multi-temperature multi-species fluid modeling
• Thermal conduction (non-local and coupling to laser physics and magnetohydrodynamics/MHD)
• Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (nLTE)
• Plasma transport

Minimum Job Requirements

• A PhD in Physics, Astrophysics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field
• Solid background in numerical methods and modeling HEDP or related systems
• Proficiency in Fortran, C/C++, or Python
• Strong record of publications commensurate with experience
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to obtain a DOE Q Clearance (requires US citizenship)

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with theoretical or computational plasma physics
• Experience with magnetohydrodynamics
• Experience in neutral particle transport and nuclear reactions (nuclear engineering)
• Experience in modeling highly-coupled physics experiments for compressible flows
• Solid background in numerical methods for solving systems of partial differential equations in fluid dynamics or related fields
• Experience with massively parallel numerical development and simulation
• Experience with deploying numerical algorithms to future computing architectures
• Experience with code development relevant to computational physics

Education

A Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computational Science, or a closely related field completed within the past five years or soon to be completed.

Work Environment and Location

Onsite position at Los Alamos, NM. All locations are at the discretion of management.

Benefits

• PPO or high-deductible medical insurance with a large nationwide network
• Dental and vision insurance
• Basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• Award-winning 401(k) with 6% matching plus 3.5% annually
• Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Extensive relocation packages for locations outside a 50-mile radius

Clearance

Position requires a Q clearance. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (except in very limited circumstances). Clearance requires a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government.

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, disability, pregnancy, protected veteran status, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Laboratory is committed to making the workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request.