Postdoctoral Appointee - Hydrodynamic Energy Systems High Performance Computing, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 98,600 - 113,275; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories invites a postdoctoral appointee to join the Hydrodynamic Energy Systems group, focusing on wave energy converters, current energy converters, and other hydrodynamic energy projects. The role is onsite in Albuquerque, NM, with a salary of $98,500 annually and requires a PhD in engineering or a related STEM field.

Responsibilities include experiments, simulations, and collaborations across departments, with opportunities to contribute to publications and high‑fidelity

Qualifications

• PhD in engineering, science or related STEM field.
• Experience with CFD/FSI methodologies and HPC workflows.
• Ability to obtain DOE Q-level security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with other departments on energy conversion technologies.
• Conduct experiments to evaluate new hydrodynamic energy ideas.
• Perform simulations, optimizations, and hardware testing; document results.
• Contribute to manuscripts for publication.

Skills

CFD/FSI experience

High-performance computing simulations

Programming (Python, MATLAB)

Education

Ph.D. in engineering or STEM

Tools

SNL-D3D

ANSYS Suites

Job description

Postdoctoral Appointee - Hydrodynamic Energy Systems High Performance Computing, 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.

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking a hardworking and dedicated Postdoctoral Appointee in the Hydrodynamic Energy Systems department. You will work both independently and with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists working on projects that focus on wave energy converter (WEC) control and WEC co‑design, current energy converter (CEC) technologies, and other projects related to hydrodynamic energy systems.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with other departments in energy conversion technologies.
• Conduct experiments to evaluate new technologies.
• Perform simulations, optimizations, and/or hardware tests and document results.
• Contribute to manuscripts for publication.

This position is located in Albuquerque, NM, and the annual salary for this position is $98,500. Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Qualifications We Require

• Ph.D. in engineering, science, or other relevant STEM discipline.
• Experience with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), structural models, and/or fluid‑structure interaction (FSI) models.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire

• Proficiency in programming for data processing and analysis (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
• Experience with high‑performance computing simulations.
• Experience with mooring modeling and/or experimental testing.
• Familiarity with hydrodynamic energy systems, offshore systems or related technologies.
• Demonstrated initiative, for example, through independently developed research questions, novel model development, and/or addressing new engineering or scientific challenges.
• Demonstrated interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Experience with numerical modeling for river and tidal energy converters, e.g. using SNL‑D3D, ANSYS Suites.

About Our Team

The Hydrodynamic Energy Systems (HES) department develops technologies that harness energy from waves, currents, tides and ocean thermal gradients to generate energy for power and national security applications. We apply capabilities and expertise in mechanical, electrical, civil and controls engineering, as well as robotics, materials and data science, and high‑fidelity modeling to create novel energy conversion devices and to characterize hydrodynamic resources. Our work focuses on advancing hydrodynamic energy technologies to support national energy security objectives.

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

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.

Background Investigation

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, 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.

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.