Postdoctoral Appointee, High-Energy-Density - Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous vacation

Medical benefits

Competitive 401k

Relocation assistance

Work-life balance amenities

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories seeks a Postdoctoral Appointee for High-Energy-Density (HED) science, primarily located on-site in New Mexico. You will collaborate within an integrated team to plan research, analyze data, and develop new methodologies, while conducting independent work to advance HED knowledge and applications.

The role emphasizes publication, collaboration with the academic community, and hands-on experiments at major facilities.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics or related STEM conferred within five years prior to employment.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance.
• Experience with high-energy-density facilities such as Z, NIF, or Omega is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate as part of an integrated team to plan research and analyze data.
• Develop new research methodologies and publish findings.
• Use engineering/scientific methods to design experiments and evaluate results.
• Work onsite at Sandia's facilities and contribute to HED research programs.

Skills

Strong communication

HED experimental experience

Education

PhD in Physics or related STEM

Tools

X-ray spectroscopy

X-ray imaging

Job description

Postdoctoral Appointee, High-Energy-Density - 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.

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 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.

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a POSTDOCTORAL APPOINTEE

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

Collaborate as part of an integrated team to plan research, in addition to working independently to analyze data and develop new research methodologies.

Team to perform systematic studies toward a fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts and discover new approaches to achieve goals.

Create new understandings and capabilities by using the scientific method's hypothesis, test, and evaluation techniques; critical review; or similar engineering research and development methods.

Publish your findings and interact with the academic community

Use engineering principles to research, design, or develop structures, instruments, machines, experiments, processes, systems, theories, or technologies; to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions.

Undertake creative work, making systematic use of investigation or experimentation, to discover or revise knowledge of reality, and use this knowledge to devise new applications.

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

Qualifications We Require:

PhD in Physics or other related STEM field conferred within five (5) years prior to employment

Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire:

PhD in Physics, Applied Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Astronomy, or a related STEM discipline

A technical competency in development, fielding, or analysis of x-ray diagnostics for high-energy-density plasmas, such as spectroscopy or imaging, demonstrated through publications in refereed journals

Excellent communication skills demonstrated through presentations at professional physics conferences

Experience designing, leading, and analyzing experiments on large-scale high-energy-density facilities such as Z, NIF, and/or Omega

About Our Team:

Department 1683 designs and performs High-Energy-Density (HED) science experiments on HED facilities. The majority of our experiments are conducted at Sandia's Z Facility. The department is accountable for experimental work in Pulsed Power radiation and fusion physics and application of novel target designs to achieve higher energy densities in pulsed power experiments. This work enables new applications to stockpile science with pulsed power; 1683 and its partners are responsible for taking full advantage of these new opportunities.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

This position does not currently require a Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance.

Sandia will conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Furthermore, employees in New Mexico need to pass a U.S. Air Force background screen for access to Kirtland Air Force Base. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause access to be denied or terminated, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment. Under federal law, citizens and agents of the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, and the Russian Federation are generally prohibited from accessing Sandia National Laboratories. Accordingly, such individuals will not be considered for employment unless they are also a citizen of the United States.

If hired without a clearance and it subsequently becomes necessary to obtain and maintain one for the position, or you bid on positions that require a clearance, a pre-processing background review may be conducted prior to a required federal background investigation. Applicants for a DOE security clearance need to be U.S. citizens. 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.

Members of the workforce (MOWs) hired at Sandia who require uncleared access for greater than 179 days during their employment, are required to go through the Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) process. Access includes physical and/or cyber (logical) access, as well as remote access to any NNSA information technology (IT) systems. UPIV requirements are not applicable to individuals who require a DOE personnel security clearance for the performance of their SNL employment or to foreign nationals. The UPIV process will include the completion of a USAccess Enrollment, SF-85 (Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions) and OF-306 (Declaration of for Federal Employment). An unfavorable UPIV determination will result in immediate retrieval of the SNL issued badge, removal of cyber (logical) access and/or removal from SNL subcontract. All MOWs may appeal the unfavorable UPIV determination to DOE/NNSA immediately. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the MOW may try to go through the UPIV process one year after the decision date.

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.

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.

• Affordable housing, reasonable cost of living
• Minimal traffic congestion compared to larger cities
• At Sandia, recruiters manually review resumes on each job posting instead of using a resume screening software program
• By following the best practices outlined, this ensures that recruiters can accurately determine your qualifications for the position