Postdoctoral Research Associate - Algorithm Development for Scientific Computing

UT-Battelle; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

UT-Battelle at Oak Ridge National Laboratory seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to advance novel algorithms for scientific computing, with a focus on nonequilibrium quantum many‑body systems. The role blends applied mathematics, computational science, and high‑performance computing to develop methods and deploy them on state‑of‑the‑art HPC facilities.

Working within the Computational Chemistry and Nanomaterials Sciences group in the CSED, you will contribute to cross‑disciplinary research

Qualifications

• PhD in computational physics or a closely related field completed within the last 5 years.
• Experience with tensor networks, Monte Carlo methods, machine learning or related computational methods.
• Strong foundation in quantum mechanics, statistical modeling, and linear algebra.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and benchmark novel computational methods for equilibrium and nonequilibrium quantum many-body systems.
• Contribute to scalable and efficient implementations on high-performance computing facilities.
• Collaborate with computational scientists, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists to link models with HPC.
• Prepare and present peer‑reviewed papers and represent the organization at workshops and conferences.

Skills

Tensor networks

Monte Carlo

Machine learning

Linear algebra

Quantum mechanics

Education

PhD in computational physics or related field

Tools

C++

Python

Julia

MPI/OpenMP

GPU programming

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a large research team working on the development and implementation of novel algorithms for scientific computing, with a particular emphasis on methods tailored to study nonequilibrium quantum many-body systems. The position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of applied mathematics, computational science, and high-performance computing. The successful candidate will help develop advanced scientific computing methods and deploy them on state-of-the-art high-performance computing facilities. There is significant potential for high-impact research contributions at the forefront of computational quantum many-body physics.

Requisition Id 16985

Overview

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a large research team working on the development and implementation of novel algorithms for scientific computing, with a particular emphasis on methods tailored to study nonequilibrium quantum many-body systems. The position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of applied mathematics, computational science, and high-performance computing. The successful candidate will help develop advanced scientific computing methods and deploy them on state-of-the-art high-performance computing facilities. There is significant potential for high-impact research contributions at the forefront of computational quantum many-body physics.

This position resides within the Computational Chemistry and Nanomaterials Sciences group in the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division (CSED) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). CSED focuses on transdisciplinary computational science and analytics at scale to enable scientific discovery across the physical sciences, engineered systems, and biomedicine and health. It provides foundations and advances in quantum information sciences to enable quantum computers, devices, and networked systems. It develops community applications, data assets, and technologies and provides assurance to build knowledge and impact in novel, crosscut-science outcomes.

Major Duties/Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, benchmark, and advance novel computational methods for equilibrium and nonequilibrium quantum many-body systems.
• Contribute to the development of scalable and efficient implementations of these algorithms for state-of-the-art high performance computing facilities.
• Collaborate within a multi-disciplinary research environment consisting of computational scientists, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists to link models and algorithms with high-performance computing.
• Author peer reviewed papers for internal and external release as well as represent the organization via technical presentations in workshops and conferences.

Basic Qualifications

• Ph.D. in computational physics or a field relevant to the job duties such as physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering within the past 5 years.
• Previous theoretical and/or computational research experience in tensor networks, Monte Carlo, machine learning or a related field
• Proficiency in quantum mechanics, statistical modeling, and linear algebra

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with density matrix renormalization group and tensor network algorithm development and application.
• Competency with common scientific programming languages such as C++, Python, and/or Julia and version control systems.
• Experience in parallel programming with one or more common parallel programming models, like MPI or OpenMP.
• Experience in heterogeneous programming (i.e., GPU programming) and/or developing, debugging, and profiling massively parallel codes.
• Experience with using high performance computing for lattice model simulations.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary research